Masquerade
by skypoints03
Summary: AU: Brittany was desperate to find a date for a party and the only person who agreed on such short notice was Santana. What happens when their masquerade threads the thin line between reel and real.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I had a blast writing my first fiction that I decided to give it another whirl and seeing THE KISS inspired me. I've been obsessed lately with AU stories so I wanted to give it a try. This story takes place in New York and the last time I was there was 4 years ago so if you see any inconsistencies I apologize in advance. Any review always makes my day so don't hold back. Once again I do not own anything. **

Chapter 1

Brittany was hyperventilating once she heard the news that she was back. She as in the bitch who left her 6 months ago. She did not even say goodbye. After a year of being in a no-commitment pseudo relationship with her (aka FUBU), Brittany was starting to feel all kinds of butterflies whenever she was with her. When she brought up the idea of taking their relationship to the next level she told Brittany that she needs to go on a business trip and that their current setup was fine. Brittany hasn't talked to her since. Now she can barely understand what Sarah was saying on the other end of the line. Her brain seemed to turn to a complete mush when she said that Jackie will be on her birthday party next week.

"Brittany are you still there?" Sarah's high pitched voice broke Brittany's reverie.

"Yes, sorry about that I was trying to multi-task." she said, hoping that the background noise of her office will fool Sarah. She was after all in Brittany's opinion not the smartest cookie to ever walk the earth and that's saying something since she was not exactly in the MENSA mailing list.

"So, are you coming to my party next week?" she asked impatiently.

Brittany was stuck, she knows she need to show up if she doesn't want to be the topic of everyone's conversation. She doesn't want to be known as one of Jackie's conquest. She was sure that they will be snickering behind her back about how lovesick she was about Jackie. Brittany could feel her face turn red thinking about all the scenarios that might happen if she did not show up next Saturday. Finally Brittany cleared her throat and said,

"Yes I'll come to the party and is it possible to have a plus one?" The words were out of Brittany's mouth before she could stop herself. Where on earth will she find a plus one?It was hard enough finding decent dates in New York.

After hearing Sarah shriek on the other end of the line she was officially in panic mode.

"You have a new girlfriend! Details girl DETAILS!"

She had to put the phone a few inches away from her ear to prevent hearing loss.

"Sarah I have to go I have a meeting in 10 minutes. I promise that you'll be the first person who can scrutinize her."

"Fine but I want the full lowdown on this mystery girl."

After a few more excruciating seconds with Sarah, she hit the end call button on her phone and thought about the mess she got herself into.

She only has 6 days to find a new girlfriend and with her current luck, she is more likely to get hit by a cab in the busy streets of New York than meet someone who will be her plus one before Saturday.

It was official, fuck her life.

It was Wednesday and Brittany only has 2 more days to find someone to bring to the stupid party. She wanted to kill herself for saying yes to that stupid party (note to self: suicide might be a viable option). She have tried joining chat rooms but the someone who calls herself sexylezzie69 is still active at the chat room she joined and is persistently asking her if she can suck Brittany's toes. She even tried stalking people in Facebook but most of them are either straight, married, or in a relationship. In her weakest moment, Brittany even tried looking at the friends of her friends in Facebook but she thinks getting a message from a complete stranger with a the subject "If you're gay, will you pretend to be my girlfriend on Saturday" is a complete turn-off.

She was back in square one and it doesn't help that her friends who are all going to the party has called her one by one demanding details. She had to make up things about her non-existent girlfriend just to get them off her back:

Q: What does she look like?

A: Absolutely gorgeous.

Q: Is she rich?

A: You know that's not important to me

Q: Does she have a job?

A: Of course she does!

Q: Is she smart?

A: Yes she is and I love talking to her for hours.

Q: Does she smell nice?(this question came up because one of her friends dated someone who is very casual about hygiene and seems to have a a phobia of deodorants)

A: Yes and she always smells like she just came out of the shower.

So for Saturday she needs a gorgeous smart girl who has a job and smells like she just came out of the shower. It was not as if I was asking for Angelina Jolie or Penelope Cruz, she just needs someone who will be her girlfriend for at least 2 hours and that's it. She's not bad to look at by the way and has a banging body because she has been dancing since forever.

It did not help that she was having a crappy time on her job as well. Everybody she knows seems to be handing in their resignation letters moving on to other things but she was still stuck here. The plan was to do this until she gets a a dancing gig but life and bills got in the way and the diploma in performance arts has managed to become just another piece of paper. She was having a full blown quarter life crisis and it was ugly. When she started having feelings for Jackie she thought that she was the one. She ignored the nagging feeling that she was just another notch in her bed post.

Brittany was zoning out when her phone rang and saw the one person who can probably knock some sense into her.

"Quinn!" she said sounding a little more desperate than usual.

Quinn was an old friend from high school. We were openly gay since high school and they helped each other out during the painful coming out process. Both our families was not really enthusiastic by our sexuality but at least her family did not kick her out unlike Quinn. She had to move in with one of their friends and had to support herself until she graduated with a communications degree in NYU. She was definitely more mature and definitely has more common sense than the rest of Brittany's friends combined. She was also seeing an up and coming Broadway star by the name of Rachel Berry.

"What's up? Did something happen to you?" Quinn asked Brittany her voice sounding a little concerned.

She texted Quinn earlier saying that she needed her help or else her life will be over. Brittany told her the whole story. The best thing about Quinn is that she never judges Brittany even with all the mess that she has managed to frequently get into.

"So you basically lied to your friends that you have a girlfriend because the BITCH that left you is coming to the party this coming Saturday and you need a girlfriend ASAP." Quinn said emphasizing on the bitch part.

"Yes."

Leave it to Quinn to encapsulate all of Brittany's miseries in one short bitter sentence.

She sighed and Brittany could tell by the silence that followed that she was thinking.

"Did you ever think about not showing up at all?" she said after a few minutes.

"But Quinn!" knowing that she anticipated Brittany's reaction to her suggestion.

"Let me see, most of the girls I know are in a relationship and the girl I was telling you about it turns out she is back with her ex and they're getting married next year. I can't exactly pretend to be your girlfriend since all your friends knows me and hates me by the way. If you get the chance tell them I hate them too and they're all pretentious little shits"

"You're not exactly helping." Brittany said, she knows Quinn hates her dancer friends but not all of them are bad and being in touch with them helps Brittany forget about her non existent dance career but if Quinn can't help her then no one can.

"And I can't believe that you got into a mess AGAIN." she said emphasizing the last word.

"But Quinn if you can't help me then I might as well commit suicide!" adding a little more drama knowing that she loves Brittany and that she can't resist my little lost girl voice.

She sighed and said "Fine but the only person I can think of right now who is available this weekend is my roommate."

_I couldn't resist adding Quinn and Rachel to the story, let me know what you guys think and reviews are awesome._


	2. Chapter 2

_Thanks for all the reviews! It really makes my day when my inbox is flooded with reviews, alerts, favorites and all that jazz. Apologies for any spelling and grammar mistakes. All reviews are appreciated. I don't own anything. _

Chapter 2

Quinn's roommate is Santana Lopez. They met last year when she moved in with Quinn. She was Quinn's friend from NYU who moved to California after graduation but was now back in New York working for an IT firm. Brittany thinks they work in the same building because she sees her around every now and then. They usually just nod to each other since they didn't really hang out much even though she lives with Quinn.

"You actually work in the same building." Quinn said on the other end of the line.

"The question is will she agree?" Brittany said, she knew that Santana was more on the serious side. Brittany could barely recall a time when she smiled. She was usually holed up in her room when Brittany visits Quinn.

"Look right now she's the only option we have. Just let me talk to her and I'll let you know what she thinks. Right now I have to get back to work and please Brittany try to not to get into any more trouble" she said, her voice half pleading half scolding.

After the conversation Brittany tried to remember what Santana looked like. She knows that she's not bad looking, you could even say she was beautiful but the girl hardly smiles. She's not usually the type of girl she would go out with but given the circumstances she'd marry her if she has to. All she knows about the girl is that she is very smart and she earns a lot of money in her job doing computer stuff. Based on Quinn's stories she has never been in a serious relationship since she broke up with his college girlfriend. _Great,_ Brittany thought to herself so right now her only option is a nerd who is a possible weirdo. She just hopes that she says yes and agrees to the charade on Saturday.

Brittany looked at the clock in her computer and it says 11:55 am. She decided to beat everyone at the elevator before the lunch rush swamps the 4 small elevators in her building. Thankfully only 5 people are waiting for the elevator. She waited for about 2 minutes before an elevator opened up in her floor. She positioned herself at the back of the elevator knowing full well that a bunch of people will come rushing in at every floor.

When the elevator opened at the 11th floor she was jolted from her reverie when Santana stepped inside the elevator. She was lucky that there were several people between them and Santana seems to be in deep conversation with a guy. Brittany discreetly studied her and imagined how they would look like together on Saturday. Brittany was taller than her and from her vantage point she looks really intelligent with her black rimmed glasses and furrowed brow as if a thousand million ideas are running through her brain. Her long wavy hair looks ruffled as if she got out of bed in a hurry and just ran her hand through it to keep it in place. She looks so serious and a slight frown seems to be permanently in place in her face. The elevator opened at the ground floor and Brittany waited a few more minutes before she stepped out. She wanted to put a comfortable distance between her and Santana in case she has already heard from Quinn. She had some serious doubts if Santana would ever agree to the idea, she looks like she will probably laugh (based on what she looks like, she'd furrow her brows deeper in her forehead) at Quinn and say no.

If that happens then Brittany was back to square one. She quickly ran down the list of girls she knows and the only other person she can think of who is single and would be willing was her pseudo suitor/part time stalker, Amanda. She has been chasing Brittany around for 2 years ever since she found out that Brittany was also gay. She was nice but unless she improves her hygiene (i.e. a big case of B.O.) Brittany swore that she will not go out with Amanda again. She was not a prude but it's just that hygiene is a big deal for her, if you can't take care of yourself then how are you going to take care of her and their potential children in the future. Plus the fact that she did not feel a connection with Amanda.

As usual she bought her lunch from the little cafe in the ground floor and headed back to the elevator. She was officially a loser, ever since Jackie and her broke up she has shunned any form of company. She preferred to wallow in self pity, and now she is about to see the girl who tore her heart to pieces on Saturday and she'll probably be a hot mess once she sees those green eyes.

At around 9 pm on Thursday while aimlessly surfing through the channels on TV, Brittany's phone rang, the display showed the smiling face of Quinn. She pressed the answer button and heard Quinn's soft voice.

"Britt." Quinn said

"Hey Quinn." Brittany said

"You owe me big time." Quinn said smugly on the other line.

Brittany couldn't help but smile, Quinn was a lifesaver.

"She said yes?" Brittany asked not wanting to jump into any conclusion.

"Uh-huh." Quinn said.

"Oh my God Quinn! Thanks! I'll take you and Rachel out to dinner sometime. How'd you get her to say yes?" Brittany asked curious on how Quinn was able to get a yes out of her sullen roommate.

"Let's just say that I am just cashing in on a debt." Quinn said mysteriously.

"Fine, can I get Santana something for like a thank you or something for her time? Flowers?, Chocolates?" Brittany asked the girl on the other line.

"Not flowers, she hates them. I honestly have no idea, I mean the girl earns more than our salaries combined and she's not materialistic so try to keep it simple." Quinn said

After a few more minutes of chatting both girls hang up. For the first time that week, Brittany was able to sleep soundly.

Santana was silently cursing herself for ever agreeing to this "date". If she didn't lose to that stupid bet she would have said no in an instant but right now all she can do is suck it up. She glanced at her watch and saw that it was 11:50 pm. She was waiting at the lobby of the building where she worked waiting for Brittany. She agreed to the charade in one condition, that they go over the plan on what will happen to the party the following day. Through Quinn they were able to set up a lunch meeting since they work in the same building anyways. After 5 minutes she saw the familiar tall blonde girl making her way over to where she is.

"Hi, sorry I'm late. Did I make you wait?" Brittany asked giving the other girl an apologetic smile.

"No, it's fine, I only got here 5 minutes ago." Santana said returning the smile.

They planned to have lunch on this obscure restaurant near their building that Brittany suggested so that they can avoid the crowds during lunchtime. After ordering, Brittany was the first one to break the silence.

"You don't know how thankful to you for saying yes." Brittany said

"Uhm yeah, I owe Quinn and I figured it's free food and booze so it's a win win situation." Santana said trying to lighten up the mood.

Their food arrived shortly and after complementing the taste Santana cleared her throat and asked Brittany about the party the following day.

"So what exactly do I need to do tomorrow?" Santana said.

"Well, if it's not too much to ask, can you like pretend to be my girlfriend tomorrow?" Brittany answered who was now violently blushing and avoiding Santana's eyes.

_Shit, Quinn did not tell me about this part, she only said her friend needed a date,_ Santana thought to herself but she can't back out now especially with Brittany looking all cute flustered up.

"Ok, but I think we need to share some personal details about each other so we can pull this off." Santana said nonchalantly.

Brittany looked at Santana with a huge smile on her face, grateful that the other girl was onboard with her plan.

For the next 30 minutes, they asked each other questions hoping to get as much information as they can about each other. Brittany was surprised at how easy it was to talk to Santana, before she was intimidated by the girl but she's actually kind of funny when she's relaxed. Lunch ended too soon and after arguing on who will pay, Brittany paid for their food since it's the least she can do. They exchanged numbers and planned to meet 2 hours before the party at Santana and Quinn's apartment so they can go over the plan one more time.

They went back to their building and joined the huge amount of people waiting for the elevator. After 5 minutes they were finally inside the elevator and due to the number of people crammed inside they were kind of squashed together and Brittany couldn't help but smell Santana's scent. She smelled as if she just came out of the shower and she couldn't help but smile knowing that the lies she said earlier that week to her friends are now becoming true, her "girlfriend" was smart, has a good job and she smelled awesome.


	3. Chapter 3

_You have no idea how much your reviews are making me happy! I'll try to respond to you once I find the time! You guys are the best. Your reviews, alerts, favorites etc, never fails to make me smile. This feels more of like a filler chapter but I wanted this one to unfold slowly but please trust me when I say that I have plans for this story and it's already laid out in head waiting to be written. Please free to point out any inconsistencies and I apologize in advance for any misses in spelling and grammar. Once again I do not own anything_

Chapter 3

The following day, Brittany woke up early and she could already feel the nerves starting to build up. She will be seeing Jackie today and just thinking about the girl makes her want to crawl into bed and hide from the world. Despite all the warnings from Quinn and her friends she still went ahead with the relationship. She thought she can handle an open relationship but she grew more and more jealous of Jackie's relationship with other women and men for that matter. When Brittany finally got the confidence to ask her to be exclusive the girl shot her down and left. She was devastated afterwards, Jackie never even called or texted her and now she's back and Brittany was determined not to get sucked in by Jackie's charm again.

After a quick breakfast of toast and coffee, Brittany decided to jog in Central Park to clear her head. She had been dancing less and less this last couple of months and she decided to make up for it by running around the park every other day. She changed into her sweats and checked if her ipod was charged before stepping out of her apartment.

Santana woke up at 11:30 am glad that she was able to sleep in and recover from the stressful week. Then she remembered that today was the party and groaned, she wasn't really a big fan of parties especially parties with complete strangers although she had her fair share of wild parties during high school and college. She had a tight knit group of friends that she sees from time to time and she enjoyed quiet intimacy instead of exchanging social pleasantries with people she doesn't know. But she gave her word to Brittany and she had to admit that having lunch was easily the highlight of her week, it beats eating at her desk going over hundred of emails day after day.

After fixing her bed, she went out of her room and saw Quinn in the kitchen stirring something in a pot.

"So you finally decided to get out of bed. Late night?" Quinn asked her roommate.

"Yeah, it was either I do overtime or work this weekend and seeing that my evil roommate made plans for me without my knowledge I had no other choice." Santana replied sarcastically.

Quinn just laughed knowing full well that Santana was born to be a smart ass although few people know it. They usually saw a quiet, serious girl but she can be a real charmer once you get to know her and her snark is all part of the Lopez charm.

"Set the table, I made pasta and there's still coffee if you want some." Quinn said turning off the stove.

Santana followed Quinn's orders without protest since she could feel her stomach grumbling.

They ate in silence and Quinn was the first one to break it.

"So are you ready for this evening?" Quinn asked her roommate with a sly grin on her face.

"Ugh, I hate you for dragging me into this." Santana shot back.

"I was just cashing in on a debt besides it's your chance to go out and have some fun. Being a hermit is not really your style." Quinn said cocking an eyebrow at Santana.

"Whatever Quinn, I just want to get this over with and maybe help out Brittany." Santana said, sincere about helping out the the girl.

"So tell me about this girl that's the cause of all this shit. Brittany was not exactly keen on discussing her." Santana asked Quinn

"You mean Jackie, the green eyed bitch?" Quinn said and Santana just nodded her head.

"Well Brittany met her through her one of her gigs, her family are pretty loaded and they're members of some organization that frequently sponsors charity events and it just so happens that Brittany was performing in one of them. She already had a reputation but Brittany was smitten right away. That bitch is one smooth operator and Brittany fell for her but she made it clear that she doesn't want to be tied down to anyone and she left overseas leaving Britt broken hearted. I mean that bitch doesn't even have a proper job, she just leeches of her parents money." Quinn said feeling indignant by what happened to her friend.

"That's harsh." was all Santana could say.

"So do me a favor and make that bitch regret she ever let Brittany go." Quinn said looking Santana in the eye.

Santana just rolled her eyes and continued eating.

"So what are you up to today?" Santana said steering the conversation away from the party that night.

"I'm meeting Rachel later after her performance. We'll probably have late dinner afterwards and I might stay the night at her place." Quinn said.

After washing the dishes, Quinn headed out to buy groceries for her dinner with Rachel later while Santana started the to look through her clothes and to try and find something decent to wear. Brittany said that it would be a formal affair and that means she needs to dress up. She hasn't exactly been painting the town red ever since she went back to New York. She has been holed up in her office most of the time and the only socializing she has done was cocktails after work with her bosses. She groaned when she saw that her only option was her black dress that she hasn't worn since forever and it was too late to go shopping now. After a few more minutes of rummaging through her closet hoping to find something else she gave up and went to have a shower to get ready for the evening ahead.

Brittany couldn't stop fidgeting in the cab on the way over to Quinn and Santana's apartment, she was dreading seeing Jackie again and knowing that she's about to deceive her friends with this fake relationship and lying isn't really one of her forte. Quinn was right she really has to stop getting herself into this situations. She clutched the paper bag tightly that contains her gift for Santana. After her jog she racked her brains on what to give the girl but she barely knew the girl and decided to give her something that Brittany would want to receive if the roles were reversed. Brittany found herself outside Quinn's apartment waiting to be let in and at the sound of the familiar buzz she took a deep breath and opened the door.

Quinn opened the door smiling at the other blonde. Brittany gave Quinn a hug and entered the apartment.

"You look good Britt." Quinn said taking in Brittany's appearance. She was wearing powder blue dress which hugs her curves in all the right places and the color highlighted her piercing blue eyes. She only had a light make up on and her hair was pulled up in a loose bun with soft tendrils falling in her face.

"Thank Quinn." Brittany said smiling warmly at Quinn.

"Santana will be done in a few minutes, have some wine first for courage." Quinn said giving a sly smile before handing over a glass of red wine.

"San! Brittany's here!." Quinn yelled at the direction of Santana's room.

"Fuck! Quinn I need your help!" Santana yelled back. Brittany smiled when she heard Santana curse, she looks so serious most of the time that it seems out of character.

Quinn just rolled her eyes and went inside Santana's room.

Brittany was nursing her glass of wine when she heard the door to Santana's bedroom open. Quinn was all grinning as she cleared her throat and said "Miss Pierce may I present you, Miss Lopez you girlfriend for the evening."

"Fuck off Quinn." Brittany heard Santana say behind the other blonde who just laughed maniacally.

Quinn then stepped aside to reveal Santana just as Brittany was sipping her wine and when her gaze fell into her "girlfriend" she almost choked. Her hair was falling loosely on her shoulder in a hairstyle that only Brittany can describe as sex hair. She was also wearing light makeup that accentuated her cheekbones and a little black dress that she was sure was illegal in half the states but it was her eyes that drew Brittany's attention. Now free from Santana's black rimmed glasses, she couldn't help but get lost in the brown depths that was also staring right back at her. All Brittany could think about was that the only lie she said to her friends is that she is in an actual relationship with Santana because her "girlfriend" is abso-fucking-lutely gorgeous, smells like heaven, has a kick ass job and smart as hell.

Quinn broke the spell by saying that Santana was a big baby when she couldn't put in her contacts by herself to which Santana promptly gave Quinn a glare.

"You look beautiful Brittany." Santana said giving Brittany a small smile.

Brittany only managed to squeak out a response to return the compliment and suddenly remembering the gift she took the paper bag and handed it over to Santana.

"Here, it's my thank you for this evening." Brittany said shyly.

"You didn't have to but thanks." Santana said giving Brittany a rare smile that shows off her dimples.

"Open it, I don't know what to give you so I just went by my instinct." Brittany said not looking Santana in the eyes.

Santana carefully opened the paper bag to reveal a yellow stuffed duck with a little flower at the side of it's head.

"She's cute." Santana said surprised at how much she liked it even though she is definitely not a big fan of stuffed toys. Brittany then looked at her and gave her a smile, relieved that Santana liked her gift.

After Santana took her gift and placed it in the middle of the bed she rejoined Brittany and Quinn who were talking about Rachel's stint in Spelling Bee in Broadway. Santana and Brittany then went over their plan for the evening while drinking wine and eating the cheese and cracker snack that Quinn prepared.. They decided to stick with the story of how they met through Quinn only adding that they only started seeing each other 2 months again when they couldn't deny their attraction to each other anymore. It was a good thing that Brittany added Santana to her list of friends in Facebook when they met last year since it would be weird if Santana was not in her friends list. Santana then went through some of the details in of Brittany's personal life and vice versa. Soon enough after retouching their make up the two headed out saying goodbye to Quinn who was already getting ready for her date with Rachel. They stepped out in the chilly late October evening and Brittany was about to hail a cab when she felt Santana's hands on her arms.

"Hey Britt, I have a car that we can use." Santana said smiling shyly at the blonde.

Brittany couldn't help but smile that Santana used her nickname. "Oh wow, that's cool." was the only thing that Brittany could say.

Santana led her to a red Toyota Camry parked near their apartment which still looks brand new. Santana unlocked the door motioned Brittany to get in and Santana went around the car to the driver's seat.

"I hope you're not expecting a Ferrari." Santana said jokingly as she started the engine.

"I think hearing you say you have a car pretty much exceeded every expectation I have." Brittany said grinning at Santana.

Santana put in the address in her GPS and waited for the directions to load before pulling out of her parking slot.

Brittany wanted to at least pay for gas but Santana declined saying that she hardly uses the car and prefers walking or the subway instead. She also explained that the car was actually a gift from her father when she got the job in New York who insisted that she drive the car instead of using the subway completely disregarding the fact that Manhattan is the worst city to drive in.

As they neared their destination, Santana could feel Brittany becoming more and more tense. When they arrived at the party, with Santana leaving her car keys to the valet and during the elevator ride Brittany was quiet and when she tried to smile at Santana it came out as a grimace. Finally the elevator doors opened and Santana as if on reflex took Brittany's hand and intertwined their fingers together, she gave it a small squeeze and tugged at the taller girl to whisper something in her ear.

"Hey take a deep breath and relax. We'll be fine." Santana said her lips almost brushing Brittany's ear which made her slightly shiver.

Brittany looked at Santana who smiled encouragingly at her, Brittany smiled back and with their hands still clasped together, the two girls took a deep breath and stepped inside the party.


	4. Chapter 4

_All your reviews are awesome! I am now officially addicted to the alerts/favorites notification I receive in my email. I apologize for any spelling or grammar mistakes. All reviews are appreciated. Don't hold back! I don't own anything._

**Ryoko05** - Party time!

**Shine90,melux85, ****Drass****, beth, KikiGottaLuvMe** - I hope this is soon enough for you

**gotlovetokill** - I hope you enjoy Jackie's encounter with Santana

**Verena R** - thank you for your kind words

**nydivaa0x** - surprised that you reviewed my story, I'm honored I'm addicted to Just Doing Her Job =)

_And to all the other people who reviewed you guys are the best! =) _

_I hope you all enjoy this chapter_

Chapter 4

"Brittany S. Pierce!" squealed someone from halfway across the room. Before she knew itl Brittany was pulled into a hug by a girl with short blonde hair. Because of the gesture Brittany had to let go of Santana's hand and Santana immediately felt the absence of Brittany's warmth.

"So this is the girl you've been hiding from us." the girl with the short blonde hair said turning her attention to Santana.

"Oh sorry, Sarah this is Santana Lopez." Brittany said.

"Hi." Santana said shaking Sarah's hand.

Sarah let her gaze linger on Santana as if sizing the girl up the finally she let go of Santana's hand and looked back at Brittany.

"Well you weren't exaggerating when you said that she was hot." Sarah said giving Santana a wink.

"So Santana, Britt her has been holding out on the details, I want to know everything." Sarah said her voice gyrating on Santana's nerves.

_Shit, it's showtime, _Santana thought and she looked at Brittany to give her a reassuring smile.

"Well, we met through Quinn who is also a friend of Brittany, we knew each other from NYU. After graduation I went to California but last year I moved back to New York and Quinn became my roommate. I already met Brittany last year when Quinn introduced us but we only started dating 2 months ago." Santana said and proceeded to intertwine her fingers through Brittany's which gave Brittany confidence.

"She couldn't resist me anymore especially since she found out we worked in the same building so she asked me out and we've been dating ever since." Brittany said who looked at Santana adorably for effect which wasn't really hard to do since Santana was an eye candy today.

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't know you had this huge crush on me." Santana retorted giving Brittany a flirty smile.

Brittany blushed because the last statement wasn't part of their script and Santana squeezed her hand enjoying the fact that she made her blush.

"Ugh you guys are too cute but I have to go and be a good hostess now. Enjoy the party!" Sarah said giving both girls a peck in the cheek before heading off to meet the people who has just arrived.

Santana pulled Brittany towards her after Sarah was out of earshot to whisper something and this time Brittany definitely felt the shivers when Santana's breathe grazed her ear.

"So that's one down, a hundred more to go." Santana said and before Brittany can recover, they were once again swept by one of Brittany's friends who wanted to know the mysterious girl that Brittany has hidden from them. They had to repeat the routine 5 more times before they were able to take a breather and enjoy the hors d'oeuvre and the champagne.

The champagne helped Santana loosen up a bit but she knew she had to be careful since she was driving later. She and Brittany were trying out the different hors d'oeuvres and she was making faces at some of the nasty ones which made Brittany giggle. A few more people came to talk to Brittany and by then they had the routine perfected, the subtle smiles, the hand hold etc. Santana was actually enjoying herself while Brittany was telling her stories of her various audition mishaps which made Santana laugh. Brittany was effortlessly funny and Santana felt that she could talk to her for hours and not be bored.

Brittany was in the middle of telling Santana of how she accidentally kicked someone in the groin because she was nervous during audition when they heard someone call Brittany's name. The reaction was instant, Santana felt Brittany stiffen and her expression unreadable while she looked for the face that owns the voice.

The voice belongs to a beautiful woman with light brown hair that was falling in waves to her creamy shoulders. She was wearing a dress that leaves little to the imagination, her flawless make up accentuated her face in all the right places from her green eyes to her lips. The woman made her way towards the two of them and Santana could feel the tension coming off Brittany with every step the woman took in their direction.

Finally the woman was face to face with Brittany with an eyebrow raised and a champagne glass in her hand.

"Brittany, I heard that you were coming." The woman said pointedly ignoring Santana.

"Jackie." was all Brittany could say.

Jackie then turned her attention to Santana when she saw Brittany's reaction.

"And you must be the girlfriend I've been hearing about." Jackie said drawing out the word girlfriend. Santana hated the girl on the spot.

Santana cleared her voice, put one her best fake smile and held out her hand to the girl hereby named wicked bitch of the upper east side.

"Hi, I'm Santana, Brittany's girlfriend." Santana said putting as much contempt as she can to her words.

Jackie briefly took her hand but let go of it immediately as if Santana is not worthy to touch her perfectly manicured hands.

"So this came as a shocker, I mean Brittany here would update her Facebook religiously and I would assume by now that she would have updated her status to in a relationship." Jackie said looking at Brittany her eyebrows still raised.

Brittany was looking at the floor clearly taken aback by Jackie's sudden appearance and thinly veiled insult. Santana wanted so much to punch the girl right in the face but she doesn't want to make a scene. Instead she opted to salvage the situation for Brittany.

"I've actually been pestering her for quite some time now for us to make it official since we've been dating exclusively for 2 months but she insisted that we keep it under the radar since she didn't want to jinx it." Santana said before pulling Brittany towards her and putting her arms possessively around Brittany's waist. Brittany was jarred back to reality when she felt Santana's arm in her body. She looked up at the girl who was smiling at her, brown eyes boring into blue eyes that fueled Brittany's confidence.

"I know babe and I wanted to actually ask you formally tonight when we're alone but since Jackie here sort of ruined my plan. We can just celebrate tonight." Brittany said making sure her voice was sultry. Santana blushed and out of the blue, Brittany lightly kissed her cheek and whispered "you're beautiful" loud enough for Jackie to hear.

Santana felt hot and cold at the same time as soon as Brittany's lips touched her skin. Brittany's move was totally unexpected but looking at the pissed off expression of Jackie it totally paid off.

"Come on, let's get more champagne." Brittany said not taking her eyes off Santana.

"It was nice to meet you Jackie." Santana said turning her attention to the other girl. She then flashed Jackie the best smug smile she can give before pulling Brittany towards the bar.

Brittany asked for champagne while Santana asked for a mojito hoping to dull the buzzing in her brain after their encounter with the bitch of upper east side. Brittany seemed more relax and after a few minutes she was swept up in a conversation with another dancer who she introduced as Mike. Santana could feel the alcohol doing it's job and she told Brittany that she will be at the balcony to catch some air.

Only a few people were in the huge balcony in the penthouse suite and most of them were couples making out completely oblivious to their surroundings and completely wrapped up in one another with soft music spilling from the party onto the balcony.

_Whoever owns this place is pretty loaded_, Santana thought to herself as she positioned herself in the railing placing her drink on top. She felt a bit cold due to the chilly autumn wind but she was mesmerized by the famous New York skyline. It didn't matter how long Santana has been living in New York, the scene always took her breath away. She remembers all the nights she looked at the same scene before her now when she was still student in NYU, wondering where she fits in all the madness of this place, the only thing she was sure of then was that she belonged in New York not anywhere else.

She didn't know how much time has elapsed and was only pulled from her reverie when she heard her name being called by Brittany.

"Hey San, I thought you bailed on me." Brittany said grinning at Santana.

"Never." Santana replied smiling at Brittany

"Here drink this." Brittany added giving Santana a cup filled with hot coffee.

"Thanks." Santana replied after sipping the coffee grateful for warmth of the liquid that quickly spread through her body.

"Wow it's beautiful out here." Brittany said looking at the scene before them.

Santana just nodded and gave her a smile and went back to sipping her coffee.

"You don't know how thankful I am for what you did." Brittany said quietly not looking at Santana

"You don't have to, I had fun tonight especially when we were winging it for some of your friends." Santana answered amused by the events that unfolded that night.

Santana then saw Jackie staring at the two of them behind the glass walls, her expression was unreadable but it was clear that she wasn't happy. An idea popped in Santana's head and before she loses her nerve she stepped closer to Brittany.

"So tell me why is this party full of dancers but no one seems to be dancing." Santana said raising her eyebrows at Brittany.

Brittany gave out a small laugh and said "Because Sarah is snotty as hell and she thinks dancing at a "high society" party thrown by her is abominable."

"But that's like unfair when you have a room full of dancers." Santana said

"I know." Brittany said grinning at Santana

Santana then stole a quick glance at the glass walls to check if Jackie was still watching them and when she saw that she was still rooted to her spot looking at the two of them she made her move.

"I say, to hell with her rules." Santana said putting her arms around Brittany's neck. "I want to have a dance with my pretend girlfriend who is a great dancer based on what I've been hearing all night."

Brittany blushed and grinned before pulling Santana closer. They swayed to the music and Brittany twirled Santana a few times which resulted in both of them erupting in a fit of giggles. At one point both of them twirled until they bumped into each other and Santana almost fell down if it weren't for Brittany's arms that caught her in time. Their eyes met and Santana throat suddenly became dry.

Santana was acutely aware of how Brittany was holding her close and how she can feel her hot breath in her face.

"I love this song." Brittany suddenly said looking deeply into Santana's eyes. Santana recognized the song and strained her ears to hear it more clearly.

_Here in this deep city lights_

_A girl could get lost tonight..._

Both of them lost in the moment their bodies swaying gently to the music.

_I'm finding every reason to be gone_

_There's nothing here to hold on to_

_Could I hold you?_

Brittany pulled Santana closer getting lost in dark brown eyes, the outside world melting away. Brittany saw Santana's eyes flicker at something that ended their eye contact and she fought the urge to groan.

Santana put her head on Brittany's shoulder and whispered, "Do you trust me?". Brittany pulled back to look at Santana with questioning eyes and saw a determined look on her face. Brittany nodded her assent and the next thing she knew Santana pulled her in for a soft kiss that wiped her mind blank especially when she tasted the mixture of coffee and mint from the mojito that Santana drank. The kiss was over as soon as it began and Santana looked at Brittany with a slight grin on her face. She then leaned in closer and whispered,

"Don't look now but Jackie has been staring at us for the last 20 minutes and I'm pretty sure we would be dead if looks could kill."

Brittany ignored the disappointment she felt when she realized that it was all for show but she had to admire Santana's wicked idea. Brittany gave out a small laugh and said "You are evil."

"I try." Santana said with an exaggerated sigh enjoying the banter between her and Brittany.

"You want to go back inside? It's getting cold out here." Brittany said rubbing the side of Santana's arms to warm them up.

Santana nodded and took Brittany's hand to rejoin the party. The party was slowly winding down and the people who stayed are clearly tipsy because of the overflowing champagne.

Brittany struck up a conversation with Mike who was inviting Brittany to his dance studio to rehearse some new moves he was working on. Santana on the other hand was making small talk with Mike's girlfriend Tina who was a vocal coach on Broadway. Things were going great until a clearly drunk Jackie barged in on the conversation.

"So Brittany, I heard that you haven't been going the studio in the past couple of months. What's wrong honey? Are you lacking inspiration?" Jackie said her statement full of contempt

Santana was trying hard to keep her temper in check right now. She was focusing on her breathing in order to distract herself from punching the girl senseless. By then everyone's attention was turned to the scene that the bitch was causing. Santana was able to pull herself together to pull Brittany towards her.

"Come on babe, party's over." she said to Brittany who was beet red at this point. They said goodbye to Mike and Tina who gave them a sympathetic smile.

They made their way to get the door when they heard Jackie shout.

"Britts you know you can always call me in case Jenny from the block doesn't satisfy you. We can go to Sarah's house on the Hamptons." Jackie said clearly pissed that she failed to get a rise out of Brittany.

Santana was absolutely livid when she heard the insult and before Brittany could react Santana was face to face with Jackie a smirk playing on her lips.

"Listen you racist bitch, Brittany won't be coming with you anytime soon to "Sarah's" house on the Hamptons, you see unlike you I don't need to borrow someone else's house there to hobnob with the upper society because my family owns a fucking mansion in the Hamptons. Look it up bitch, my father's name is Miguel Lopez in case you want to check." Santana said her voice filled with controlled rage.

She stormed out of the penthouse suite taking Brittany with her. It wasn't until they were in the car that Santana dared to look at Brittany who looked like she was fighting off tears.

She sighed wanting to kick herself because she lost her temper in front of Brittany's friends.

"Britt. I'm sorry about what happened." Santana said softly while navigating the streets of New York.

Brittany looked at her confused at what was coming out of Santana's mouth.

"I should be the one apologizing Santana, she insulted you in front of all those people and you weren't even supposed to be there." Brittany said her voice cracking.

Santana just sighed and said "Regardless Britt, she has no right treating people like that. Let's just forget about it ok?"

Santana asked for Brittany's address and after a few more minutes they arrived at Brittany's apartment. Brittany took off her seat belt unsure of what to say to Santana.

"I'm sorry." Brittany finally said a pout forming in her face.

Santana couldn't help but laugh at the sight. _Damn she's cute, _Santana thought to herself.

"It's ok Britt I had a great time tonight and I actually enjoyed all the drama." Santana said grinning at Brittany.

"I have to agree that the whole thing was surreal." Brittany replied smiling back at Santana.

Santana was taken aback when Brittany suddenly pulled her in a tight hug.

"Thank you so much for doing this." Brittany whispered in Santana's ear. Before Santana could say anything Brittany was already out of the car. Brittany leaned in before closing the door and said "Text me once you get home ok? Drive safe."

" night Britt." Santana answered

"Good night San." Brittany said closing the door of the car and watched it drive away into the night.

After taking a shower Brittany heard her phone beep and smiled when she saw Santana's name.

**_Santana:_**

**_I'm home. Good night. =)_**

She quickly typed a reply telling the other girl to have a good night sleep. Brittany then lied down on her bed and after a few minutes she was asleep with a smile on her face.

**A/N** - The song is City by Sara Bareilles. Although it's not explicitly stated, I think Sara was pertaining to New York. Check it out if you have time, it's a very beautiful song.


	5. Chapter 5

_Wow 38 reviews, I know that's not a lot but considering my first story only got 25 reviews for 12 chapters, so this is a big deal for me. Thanks to everyone reading my story and major props to the people below who took time to review my story._

**Verena R** - Jackie was indeed crazy jealous!

**wkgreen, Ryoko05** - I hope this chapter answers your question.

**Blueskkies** - haha I like your idea of Santana defending Britt's honor. You can find a line in this chapter where I included that as a shout out to you!

**melux85, DeadFlash27** - I hope this is soon enough for you.

**Dolphins'R'GaySharks** - there are no words just hahahahahaha

**Drew55** - Thanks! I'm seriously considering a smack down between Santana and Jackie now that you brought it up.

**pleasegirldontyoudieonme,gotlovetokill,aliesmyles, heyalovexo** - I'm happy you liked how things went down between Santana and Jackie, that part was really fun to write.

_Again thanks for the reviews/alerts/faves, I'm grinning like an idiot everytime I see a new one in my inbox. Again all reviews are appreciated, apologies for any spelling, grammar and any other mistakes you might find._

_I don't own anything._

Chapter 5

Santana woke up at 10:00 and immediately felt the pangs of hunger coursing through her body. She silently cursed Rachel for stealing Quinn this morning since she always makes the best breakfast. She padded sleepily through the kitchen and made a fresh pot of coffee. She poked her head in fridge to look at her options but decided that she was too lazy to actually cook something and instead just popped out good old Cap 'n Crunch.

Santana flopped down in front of the couch with her coffee and bowl of cereal prepared to sit on her ass the whole day in front of the TV. After an hour her mind was numb from watching back to back episodes of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, she let her thoughts wander to the events the previous night. She was not sorry at all that she lost her temper, the bitch deserved it and she just hoped that Brittany missed the reference to her parent's house in the Hamptons. She then thought about Brittany and how beautiful she looked last night, goosebumps erupted in her skin when she realized that they kissed twice, once when Brittany kissed her on the cheek and the second one when she kissed Brittany on the lips while they were dancing. Santana brushed it off to the fact that the last time she was intimate was someone was roughly a year ago, a one night stand to celebrate her return to New York although she doesn't mind hanging out with Brittany more. She wasn't lying when she said she had a great time with her last night, Brittany was funny and easy to talk to and she hoped that she can add Brittany to her small list of friends. God knows she needs more of them since she wasn't really winning any Miss Congeniality titles in her job. She was brought back to reality when she felt her phone vibrate and saw a message from Quinn.

Brittany didn't know what possessed her to call Mike immediately after waking up to take him up on his offer. Luckily he had a rehearsal scheduled that morning and invited Brittany in. She was a bit nervous when she arrived at the studio, she hasn't really danced in quite some time much less choreographed but she was pleased to find out that dancing was still as easy as breathing for her. She and Mike got a few routines done and Mike filled her in on what happened after she and Santana left the party. Jackie basically told everyone who cared to listen that it was Brittany's loss. She finally passed out drunk and Sarah had to ask someone to drop her off at her apartment. Her old instincts kicked in and genuinely felt sorry for Jackie but she remembered how rude she was last night to Santana and hopes that what happened can teach Jackie a lesson or two. On the way home her thoughts wandered to her pretend girlfriend, by all accounts Santana was an enigma but she was surprised at how comfortable she was with Santana, once Santana loosened up, she's very witty and funny, smiled more giving Brittany a glimpse of her cute dimples plus there's that tiny fact that she was a good kisser. Brittany blushed at the thought of the kiss they shared, even though it was all part of the act she had to admit that it made her swoon for a couple of seconds and left her craving for more. She arrived at her apartment and took a shower to wash off the sweat from her body and grab some lunch after. While drying her hair, she heard her phone beep and saw a message from Quinn.

Santana arrived at Central Park wearing black skinny jeans and a white v-neck shirt. She was carrying a small bag that held her keys, wallet, a book and her iPad. She wanted something that can tune out Treasure Trail if ever she goes off on one of her rants that only Quinn finds adorable. She made her way to Sheep Meadow and scanned through the crowds to look for her friends. She sent Quinn a text message to ask her to describe their exact location since she knew it was futile to look for them amidst the sea of people enjoying a lazy Sunday afternoon in the park. After a few minutes she saw Quinn's reply and proceeded to where they were situated.

Santana was surprised to find another blonde lounging in the blanket laid out in the grass. Brittany saw her and ran up to her to give her a brief hug.

"Hey San! Quinn said you were coming!." Brittany said who was a bit surprised at how excited she was when she found out that Santana was joining them for their picnic and noted how Santana managed to look beautiful with just jeans and a t-shirt, she was even wearing her glasses that for some strange reason made her look extra hot.

"Hi Britt, I didn't know you'd be here." Santana said giving Brittany a big smile.

"Hello Santana." Rachel said waving at Santana while taking out the food from the picnic basket.

'Hey roomie, glad you decided to come." Quinn said who was already sipping red wine while helping Rachel.

"So what's the occasion?" Santana asked the three girls.

"Well Rachel here has the day off and she wanted to go to the park and relax. We figured the only way that it would be better is if we invite close friends to a picnic in the park." Quinn answered looking devious.

"Spill it Fabgay." Santana said immediately sensing that there is something more than what Quinn is saying.

Brittany has a small smile playing on her lips while watching the interaction between Quinn and Santana. She couldn't help the feeling that Santana was slowly letting her guard down around her.

Finally Rachel spoke up after she had enough of the insults being thrown around by the two roommates.

"Well Santana and Brittany, I had an early breakfast meeting with my vocal coach today, whose name by the way is Tina who is absolutely fabulous and has taught me new techniques to further expand my already impressive vocal range."

Santana promptly rolled her eyes and Brittany giggled at the sight. Quinn cut off Rachel by placing a hand on her arm.

"Honey, we don't have all day." Quinn said gently to her girlfriend.

"Right, as I was saying Tina told me about a party she went to last night where major drama ensued during a confrontation between an ex-girlfriend and the new girlfriend of someone named Brittany. Needless to say it's the talk of the town right now." Rachel said looking back and forth at Santana who was sporting a scowl and Brittany who was avoiding Rachel's gaze.

Quinn cleared her throat with a sly smile on her face and said "You do know that we will eventually find out everything we are just giving you guys the chance to explain yourselves."

Santana remembered that Rachel was an upper east side Jewish American princess and she had no doubt that she will hear about what happened one way or the other through the grapevine. She was about to spew insults to Rachel for sticking her huge nose into other people's business when she heard Brittany say, "It was totally Jackie's fault, Santana just reacted."

"Britt!" Santana said looking at Brittany who just shrugged her shoulders, with a sigh Santana gave up and helped Brittany tell the tale of their misadventures the previous night. As expected Rachel was gasping and giving out comments being a total dram queen while Quinn silently listened with a raised eyebrow especially when Brittany told them in verbatim what Santana said to Jackie during the confrontation. As if on a silent agreement Brittany and Santana skated over the fact that they kissed twice during the course of the charade.

"Well, I'm amused that you were able to pull off the whole thing and kudos to Santana for not committing murder right there and then and spilling blood on poor Princess Sarah's penthouse carpet. Cheers." Quinn said raising her glass and trying to hard not to laugh.

The conversation then moved to Rachel's stint in Spelling Bee as Logainne SchwartzandGrubenierre to which Santana remarked "It's not as if you had to act Berry, I mean you're overbearing and have two gay dads." which earned a death glare from Quinn.

"Say what you want Santana but I saw you joining in the standing ovation during my first night." Rachel said smugly. Santana just rolled her eyes and poured herself a glass of wine and started to eat a sandwich.

Quinn lied down on the blanket and put on her sunglasses to block out the sun while occasionally sipping on her wine. Brittany is now telling Rachel about the dance rehearsal she went to earlier that day.

"You should totally go and audition for Chicago Brittany, I heard they were looking for dancers, think of it as celebrating your return to dancing after a brief hiatus. I mean I've been telling you what shows needs dancers for the last 6 months and you haven't been going to any of the auditions." Rachel said to Brittany which Santana found interesting since most of Brittany's friends on the party mentioned how good she is and how dancing is her life.

Brittany just shrugged and said "I'll go this time ok, I was in a kind of funk the past couple of months but I'm good now, just give me the address."

The four girls were enjoying the comfortable silence that came after they finished eating the food prepared by Quinn and Rachel. Rachel was sitting in between Quinn's leg who had her arms around her girlfriend and frequently stealing kisses from each other. Santana was busy reading her book while Brittany took a nap. The comfortable silence was broken when a family who were clearly tourists approached them and asked if they can get Rachel's autograph and picture since they saw Spelling Bee last night. Brittany woke up from her nap and was a bit confused on what the commotion was all about. Santana just grinned at Brittany flashing her dimples and pointed to Rachel and rolled her eyes, Brittany responded with a giggle. Brittany sat up and stretched her legs, she noticed that they were a bit sore from all the dancing she did earlier. Several autographs and pictures later, Rachel rejoined the girls with a big smile on her face.

"My hard work is finally paying off, people are starting to recognize my talent." Rachel said her voice couldn't contain the excitement she felt. Quinn smiled at her girlfriend and gave her a chaste kiss on the lips.

"I'm pretty sure I heard them say that they thought you were the Oompa Loompa in Charlie and the Chocolate factory." Santana said a smug smile playing on her lips.

Rachel just ignored Santana as if she's used to the comments that Santana frequently dishes out and went back to Quinn's arms while Quinn gave Santana another glare and said "That's twice this month Lopez, one more and your ass is mine again."

Santana just stuck out her tongue at Quinn and went back to reading her book. Brittany was watching the exchange, her curiosity piqued.

"So what's the deal? Does Santana have a limit in calling Rachel names?" Brittany asked Quinn.

Quinn just smiled at Brittany and said, "Why don't you ask her how I got her to say yes to your party." Brittany looked at Santana who was trying hard to ignore them.

"San?" Brittany said getting Santana's attention and when that didn't work, she poked Santana on the ribs.

"Ouch that hurt Britt." Santana said rubbing the spot where Brittany poked her.

"Sorry. So how did Quinn get you to say yes." Brittany asked insistently.

"Fine, I lost a bet ok. Quinn said that it was physically impossible for me not to insult Rachel for less than 3

times a month. I took the bet." Santana said not looking at Brittany or Quinn who was laughing her ass off at this point.

"And?You forgot to say how long you lasted." Quinn said teasing Santana.

"I'll kill you Fabray." Santana said glaring at the Rachel and Quinn who were trying desperately to hold in their laughter.

Santana then added in a softer voice, "I lost after only a week." Brittany couldn't help but join in on the laughter.

"So I was a punishment huh?" Brittany said teasing Santana.

"What? Of course not! I meant it when I said I had a great time." Santana said who was blushing furiously trying to explain to Brittany.

"I'm kidding San." Brittany said grinning at Santana.

"I hate you all." Santana said rolling her eyes for the nth time which earned another round of laughter.

"I don't know about you but I'm getting some hotdog. The vegan crap made me crave meat." Santana said who stood up and walked towards the hotdog stand.

Pretty soon a couple of girls walked up to them who also wants to have their pictures taken with Rachel who gladly obliged saying that her fans are important to her.

"Quinn, why didn't you tell me Santana was rich." Brittany asked the other blonde while Rachel was busy talking to her fans.

Quinn just shrugged and said "It really wasn't my place to tell and she doesn't really talk about it either, I mean I was just as shocked as everyone when we drove up to their place in the Hamptons for Spring Break since she only referred to it as her parent's beach house. Why'd you ask Britt? I know for a fact you don't give a shit about people and their money."

Before Brittany can answer Santana arrived with the hotdogs and gave Quinn and Brittany each.

"Where's Berry?" Santana asked putting as much contempt as she can to Rachel's surname. Before anyone can answer Rachel rejoined them looking absolutely giddy from all the attention she got that afternoon.

"Quinn, remember that you're not allowed to kiss me until you've brush your teeth to remove the taste of meat from your mouth." Rachel announced when she saw what the three girls were eating.

"So those girls I was talking were saying how dedicated I am to my craft since they can tell that I try to live and breathe the role I am in." Rachel said

"You mean they also found you annoying like Logainne?" Brittany asked innocently and Santana almost choked from the hotdog she was eating. Brittany patted her back to help and gave her a mischievious smile and wink. Rachel chose to ignore Brittany's comment and continued talking.

"Which made me think of about your little play last night and I think that you should try to stay in character as much as possible until the whole ruckus dies all the drama that ensued in that party featuring some of New York's elite you can expect people to talk about it for days to come until a new scandal erupts."

Quinn was listening and nodded her head at Rachel's suggestion. "I think Rachel has a point, it would seem odd if Santana would suddenly disappear from your life Britt when she has valiantly defended your honor last night." Quinn said with slight mocking tone on her voice.

Brittany was shaking her head not wanting to drag Santana further into the mess, "I think Santana has done enough already." Brittany said then turned her gaze to Santana who looked like she was seriously considering Rachel's suggestion, you could almost see the wheels turning in her head.

Santana just shrugged and said "I don't mind if it's okay with Brittany. I don't want to give that girl the satisfaction that we "broke up" because of what happened. Plus it would help me get rid of that asshole from accounting who keeps on asking me out on a date and is unable to fathom the words 'I am a lesbian, I like girls.' But it's up to you Brittany."

It was Brittany's turn to weigh her options but she knows that there is truth to Rachel and Quinn's words, it would certainly raise a few eyebrows if they were to break up suddenly. She's not really looking for someone to date right now since she made up her mind to focus on her derailed dancing career and Jackie will finally stay away from her long enough for her to move on with her life.

"I'm cool with it." She said to the three girls. Rachel clapped her hands when Brittany finally agreed to her scheme and is clearly enjoying being part of the drama.

"Now we need to be as thorough as possible. Brittany mentioned that a lot of people are surprised about your relationship because they did not see it in Facebook so I suggest you both update it to show that you're "officially dating" each other." Rachel said and Quinn agreed.

"Fine, I have my iPad with me." Santana said getting the device from her bag. After a few minutes she was able to change her status from single to in a relationship with Brittany S. Pierce. Santana then logged off her account and handed it over to Brittany who updated her status from single to in a relationship with Santana . She was about to give Santana her iPad back when an idea struck.

"Should we upload pictures of the two of us?" Brittany asked Santana who just nodded in agreement. They were in too deep now and they might as well do it right.

Quinn took pictures of them with their arms around each other, holding hands while staring at each other and Brittany's favorite where she was leaning in Santana's shoulder with her eyes closed while Santana has her arms around her and her face tilted towards Brittany as if she was about to kiss her. Rachel was orchestrating the whole thing, telling them what to do, where to lean etc and this helped hide the embarrassment they were both feeling from being too close to each other.

Satisfied, Brittany uploaded the pictures to her account and tagged Santana. After another 30 minutes lounging around the park, the 4 girls decided to head home since the sun was already starting to set. Brittany and Santana fell behind while Quinn and Rachel walked ahead of them holding hands and whispering to each other. Santana fought the urge to vomit at the sight.

Brittany broke the silence by asking Santana if she was really ok with the whole thing.

"It's fine really, I mean I'm not really dating anyone and it's not like we'll be fake dating forever which reminds me, do you like wanna set some rules or something?" Santana asked Brittany.

"All I can think of right now is that if one of us wants to date someone else, we just have to inform each other so we can come up with like an epic break up story." Brittany said smiling at Santana.

"Deal. Let's shake on it." Santana said smiling back and holding out her hand which Brittany took.

Brittany and Rachel was sharing a cab and Quinn let them have the first one that stopped. Quinn tried to kiss Rachel in the lips but she refused because Quinn's breath still smells like hotdog and offered her cheeks instead which earned Rachel a scowl from Quinn. Santana and Brittany watched the two amused at how their relationship seems to work for both of them despite their differences.

Before getting inside the cab, Brittany gave Santana a hug and teasingly said in a loud voice "Bye lover." that earned a blushing Santana a couple of stares from the people at the sidewalk.

She and Quinn finally got a cab and while enjoying the comfortable silence with her roommate, Santana's thoughts went back to Brittany and how she managed to basically turn her world upside down in less than 48 hours and she's not even a bit bothered. She just sighed and wondered what she has gotten herself into.

**I'm not really sure if this chapter is good enough but I felt it was necessary to set up some story lines I planned for this. Also I watched Spelling Bee the last time I was in New York and I absolutely loved it. Let me know what you think just hit the review button.**


	6. Chapter 6

_I will never get tired of thanking everyone reading my story. The alerts/faves/reviews are all heartwarming especially the reviews =). __All reviews are appreciated, apologies for any spelling, grammar and any other mistakes you might find._

_I don't own anything._

**DeadFlash27** - Yeah she would!

**wkgreen,Blueskkies, volvo2443,elfspirit, aliesmyles, gotlovetokill **- you guys are amazing, reading your reviews makes me write faster, so I hope you enjoy this one

**Cali Cheerleading Swag** - are you a mind reader?That is definitely part of my plan for this story. I love Serendipity! Their frozen hot chocolate just wow. I hope I can get back to New York soon.

**Verena R - **Belated happy b-day! Please take this chapter as an additional gift from me.

**Bat-Ninja-Kitty** - we live in a crazy crazy world, I actually got the idea from a friend of mine who refused to believe that people are in a relationship unless they update their Facebook status, she says it makes it more official. Glad you loved that part. I hope you also enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 6

It started at 11 am, Santana was so damn busy that she didn't see the 15 missed calls and 10 messages in her phone. The next two weeks are very critical to her career, they were about to deploy a major enhancement that will modernize the current IT system of their client. It was just Monday and she was already stressed out answering emails and attending meetings left and right.

Finally it was lunch time and Santana was able to take a breather. She had already anticipated that today will be crazy which is why she brought a packed lunch to work that Quinn prepared. If Quinn wasn't dating Berry and it would be like kissing her own sister she'd totally marry Quinn just for her awesome domesticated ass. She felt a little disappointed knowing that the odds of running into Brittany today is slim to none since it looks like she will be stuck at her desk until 9 pm today. If she was being true to herself you could say that she has a little crush on Brittany. The girl was beautiful with a banging body and she wouldn't mind seeing her once in a while, they were "dating" after all. Halfway through eating her lunch she remembered that she hasn't checked her phone since she got to work and that's when she saw it. Before she had the chance to call her mother back, hoping that it wasn't anything serious, her phone rang and Quinn's smiling face greeted her.

Before she even had the chance to say hello she heard Quinn's voice who from the sound of it was trying hard not to laugh.

"Check Facebook." Quinn said.

"I'm busy bitch." Santana spat back.

"Believe me you would WANT to check your facebook." Quinn said this time unable to hold in the laughter.

Then it dawned on Santana, the missed calls from her mother, the bazillion text messages.

"Shit." was the only thing that left Santana's mouth before hitting the end call button while Quinn was no doubt laughing her ass off at the other end of the line.

She reached for iPad and opened the application and saw that she had 40 notifications. Santana opened her profile page silently cursing the slow 3g connection because the website was blocked in her office and there it was, almost half of the comments in her status change from single to in a relationship was from her mother.

As she read through her mother's comments she was already planning to slowly torture and kill her older brother for ever introducing her mother to the website.

**Santana M. Lopez is in a relationship with Brittany S. Pierce**

**Quinn Fabray, Rachel Berry, Noah Puckausaurus, Maria Lopez, Christian Lopez, Mikaela Lopez and 29 others likes this**

**Rachel Berry** - You make a cute couple.

**Maria Lopez** - I'm happy you're dating again sweetheart.

**Christian Lopez** - Go get it sis =)

**Maria Lopez** - When did you start dating her and when can we meet her?

**Noah Puckausaurus** - How come you get hotter girls than me?

**Maria Lopez** - Answer your phone Santana.

**Maria Lopez** - Can you ask your girlfriend to accept my friend request?

**Maria Lopez** - Her profile is private and I can't see her wall and other information.

**Maria Lopez** - How come you're not answering your phone? I've sent you 10 messages already, Dad wants to talk to you too.

**Kurt Hummel** - Congratulations Satan, so Quinn finally set you two up.

**Kurt Hummel** - Sorry Mrs. Lopez

**Maria Lopez** - We all know Santana has a bit of a temper and I have no doubt she deserves the nickname. Oh so Quinn set the two of you up?

**Mikaela Lopez** - This is too funny LOL. Congrats big sis!

**Maria Lopez** - She's beautiful Santana, I hope we can arrange something and meet her soon - Daddy

She was still stunned with what she was reading when she heard her phone ring. It was her mother.

"Hello Mom." Santana said to the woman on the other line trying to keep her voice as casual as possible.

"Santana, why aren't you answering your phone?" Maria Lopez said scolding her daughter

"I was busy Mom and I was just about to call you." Santana answered.

"So tell me about Brittany." Her mom said not even bothering with small talk with her daughter.

Santana rolled her eyes, she wanted to kick herself for forgetting that her mother was on her friends list and she'll also probably murder Rachel since she was the one who suggested this in the first place.

"She's a friend of Quinn, I met her like a year ago, started dating 2 months ago and we just made it official yesterday." Santana rattled off repeating the story that she and Brittany agreed on.

"How come you didn't say that you were dating anyone when I called you the last time." Her mom asked who is clearly not satisfied with the level of information that her daughter provided.

"I didn't want to jinx it Mom plus I know you'd be calling me every hour of the day asking me if things are getting serious." Santana said growing exasperated by the second.

"I don't appreciate that tone young lady and you know that your Dad and I just want you to be happy. He says hi by the way, he wanted to talk to you but he had to go to work early." Her mom said.

Santana sighed and said to other woman on the line, "Sorry Mom, I've been really busy this past couple of days, there are too many things going on that it must have slipped my mind to tell you that I was seeing someone."

"So did you sleep with her? Is that why you're making it official" Her Mom asked nonchalantly. Clearly her mother has no concept of the term too much information.

"Mom! That's private and completely none of your business!" Santana said who was growing redder by the second.

"That means yes honey. I'll let you go now and tell Brittany we can't wait to meet her. Oh and remind her to accept my friend request. Bye sweetheart, we love you." Her mom said before hanging up the phone.

After the phone call Santana was sure of 6 things:

1.) The whole charade is getting out of hand.

2.) Her mother was addicted to Facebook.

3.) She will gladly pay for rehab.

4.) She regrets the day that she accepted her mom's friend request

5.) She will kill Rachel Berry, because when you analyze the whole situation, it all comes back to Man Hands

6.) She will also kill Quinn just for good measure since she agreed with the whole thing and Berry probably needs her soulmate in the afterlife.

She took her phone and looked for Brittany's phone number to give her a heads up.

Brittany was in a good mood that day, Mike called her earlier and asked her if she was interested in working part time as a dance instructor for one of his Saturday classes. Rachel also gave her the address for the auditions for Chicago and she was scheduled next week. Things are definitely looking up for and her smile got bigger when she saw a message from Santana.

Santana Lopez: Is it okay if I call you up?

She sent out a quick reply saying that Santana can call her anytime she wants. After a few minutes, Brittany felt her phone vibrate and smiled when she saw Santana's name.

"Hey San." Brittany said cheerfully.

"Hi Britt. Uh, by any chance did you get to check your Facebook today?" Santana asked.

"Not yet, why?" Brittany said.

"I completely forgot that my Mom is on Facebook and she's kind of addicted to it. So long story short, she thinks we're actually dating and now she wants you to add her as a friend in Facebook and my family are all kinds of crazy and if you don't add her she'll probably call Quinn to ask for your number then she'll call you up and ask all kinds of inappropriate questions. Shit, I'm sorry Britt." Santana said who was out of breath at this point.

Brittany laughed at Santana imagining that she's probably flustered on the other line, "Stop apologizing San, I got you into this mess remember? Do you want to continue with the whole fake dating thing? If you're not comfortable with it anymore we can like fake break up or something and just tell your Mom that we decided to be friends."

"God if we do that she'll hound me for the next couple of months asking me why we broke up and she'll probably force me into therapy to work out my issues." Santana said thinking of other options.

Santana then sighed defeated, the last thing she needs is her Mom on her case. "Britt, if it's not too much can you like accept her friend request, you can totally delete her once we fake break up. Just humor her once in a while. I have to go now I have a meeting in 15 minutes." Santana said and after a moment's hesitation added "Can I take you out for lunch on Friday to make up for any cringe worthy things my mother will probably do in the future?"

"You're crazy Santana, and yes I would love to have lunch. Just call me or send me a message to confirm ok?" Brittany said amused at what happened.

Brittany went back to her workstation and discreetly opened a window in her computer so she can check her Facebook account. Thank God it wasn't blocked since the the advertising firm she was working on actually uses Facebook for their advertisements.

She was greeted by 30 notifications. and 1 friend request. She went to the friend request and smiled when she saw Santana's mother. She accepted the request and decided to creep around Maria Lopez's profile. Her profile picture is a family photo probably taken recently, Santana has her mother's smile but her eyes were definitely from her father, they were a gorgeous looking family and you could definitely see the resemblance between the siblings. Santana wasn't kidding when she said that her mother was an addict. She updates her status every 3 hours and has 50+ photo albums. Brittany looked at the albums most of them were from family trips and charity events until she saw one titled Santana, she opened the album and saw pictures of a baby Santana up to her graduation from college. She couldn't help but gush at how adorable her fake girlfriend was. One baby picture was of Santana naked lying flat on her belly and had the caption "Santana at 5 months showing off her cute little butt". Brittany had to bite her lips to keep from laughing out loud especially when she read the comments in the picture.

**Santana Lopez** - This is just wrong Mom, I'm untagging myself.

**Quinn Fabray - **ROFLMAO

**Christian Lopez - **At least only your butt is showing, mine had the family jewels on display and it was a week before I found out about the picture.

**Mikaela Lopez - **OMG I am hiding the scanner.

**Maria Lopez - **Too late dear, yours are already uploaded you can see it the album Baby Mikaela

**Christian Lopez **- LMFAO

**Santana Lopez** - . Good luck untagging your name on the pictures sis.

She clicked on Santana's name and looked at Santana's page. It was bare compared to her Mom and the only recent update was the status change and the pictures from the park the day before. She clicked on her favorite picture of the two of them yesterday and smiled that it had 25 likes and comments about how cute the two of them looked and there was even one from Santana's mom saying that she hopes to meet Brittany soon. Before she can stop herself Brittany typed in a response to Santana's mom saying that she also wants to meet her and the rest of the family.

Brittany was already seated at the restaurant where they ate lunch before waiting for Santana, the last time she talked to her was Monday and she got a text message earlier telling her that they were still on for lunch. It has been a crazy week so far, she was at the dance studio almost everyday after work thinking up choreography with Mike. She was thrilled when he offered her a sort of compensation for helping him plus the dancing gig every weekend. Hopefully her dreams of supporting herself thru dancing are slowly becoming a reality.

She was pulled out from her reverie when she heard a familiar voice say hi. She smiled at Santana who took the seat opposite hers.

"Let's order I'm starving." Santana said a bit grumpily and browsed through the menu.

Brittany involuntarily pouted when she sensed Santana's bad mood. Santana looked up and saw Brittany's pout and a grin took over the scowl.

"You have to stop doing that." Santana said chuckling as she sipped her water.

Brittany was confused with what Santana said. "Stop doing what?" her pout becoming more pronounced.

On instinct Santana reached out and touched Brittany's pouted lips with her index finger. "That." Santana said and realizing what she just did hastily put her hands on her lap.

Brittany bit her lip to prevent the skin where Santana touched from tingling. Thankfully the waitress arrived to get their order and awkwardness dissipated.

"So has my Mom managed to traumatize you yet? I'll pay for therapy." Santana said smiling at Brittany.

"Of course not, Maria is very sweet." Brittany answered.

"Tell that to me after living with her for 18 years. So what information has she managed to extract from you?" Santana scoffed.

"Well so far she managed send me three private messages, one was thanking me for accepting the request when I answered she sent me another one asking me to call her Maria. The third one is actually an open invitation to a dinner in LA if ever I'm in town and to not tell you that she was sending me messages." Brittany said trying to hold in a chuckle when she saw Santana's horrified face.

"Seriously Santana she's sweet and you're lucky." Brittany stated. Before Santana can react their food arrived and they ate quietly for a few minutes.

"Can I ask you a personal question?" Brittany asked quietly.

Santana just nodded her head since her mouth was still full.

"How did you find out you were gay." Brittany said unsure if Santana will want to answer that question.

Santana chewed thoughtfully and looked at the girl opposite her in the eye. After swallowing Santana shrugged and said "I think around high school I already knew but I dated guys until I was a junior because being gay in high school is not really a walk in the park, but I didn't really come out until my senior year when me and my girlfriend that time couldn't really hide it anymore. How about you? How'd you find out you were into girls?"

"Well I was a cheerleader and I was unconsciously checking out the other cheerleaders. Then I had this huge crush on one of the teachers, Miss Holiday where I would daydream about kissing her during class. I joined the GSA where I also met Quinn in school during my junior year and that pretty much made me realize that I was gay. Like you I dated guys but was grossed out when they kissed me." Brittany said scrunching her nose at the memory.

Santana gave a small laugh at Brittany's statement, she was indeed grossed out a bit every time she kissed a guy when she was still pretending to be straight.

"Were your parents always supportive?" Brittany asked Santana.

"Hell no, my mom threw a fit when I finally came clean to them. I was pretty sure she was ready to have me exorcised or something. Dad was unsure about what he felt, my older brother Christian was cool about the whole thing and my youngest sister was too young to really understand why my Mom wasn't talking to me and crying hysterically. It was my brother's idea for us to go to PFLAG. My mom was kicking and screaming about it but Dad persuaded her to go. She came around eventually before I graduated and she was a total drama queen when she told me that it doesn't matter who I love as long as that person loves me back with all their heart. Which brings us to the present where she thinks it absolutely normal for her to creep out my girlfriend." Santana said rolling her eyes

Brittany couldn't hide the blush the crept up her cheeks when she realized that Santana failed to add 'fake' or 'pretend' when she said girlfriend. Santana was oblivious to the slip and instead asked Brittany the same question,

"How about your parents? Were they as crazy as my Mom when they found out?"

"It's gonna sound stupid but I wished they had the same crazy reaction as your parents." Brittany said.

"Did they kick you out?" Santana asked quietly concern shining in her eyes.

"No, they weren't that harsh but they chose to ignore that part of me. Every time I bring the subject up or I ask them if to meet a girlfriend they always find some excuse to change the topic. My sister's actually the only one who doesn't treat like I'm sort of a leper but she has her own family now so I don't get to see her much." Brittany said with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"I'm sorry Britt, maybe they'll come around eventually or you can probably get them to go to PFLAG meetings or something." Santana said putting her hand on top of Brittany on the table.

Brittany just smiled and said "I'm used to it. We only see each other like once a year anyway."

"You can always borrow my Mom, I'm sure my siblings and I can all use a little rest from all of her meddling." Santana said trying to lighten the mood.

"I'm sure you'd miss her a lot." Brittany said grinning at Santana.

They moved on to lighter topics about work, Quinn and Rachel. They agreed to watch Rachel's play with Quinn once they get the time. Lunch was over too soon and once again they found themselves squished in the elevator against each other.

Brittany noticed a guy inside the elevator was looking at them and when half of the people inside got off at the 3rd floor, he moved closer and called Santana's name. Santana turned her head and a slight scowl resided in her face.

"Jerry." Santana said her voice curt.

"So did you enjoy lunch with your _girlfriend_?" Jerry said with a hint of malice in his voice. Brittany immediately saw that the guy was a homophobic tool and decided to beat him at his own game.

She extended her hand and said "Hi, I'm Brittany." Jerry was taken aback by the gesture and shook her hand briefly. Before he can say anything the elevator opened at the 11th floor and he moved to get out. Brittany sensing that Jerry was waiting for them to do something stopped the elevator door from closing and out of intuition Brittany pulled Santana's hand and placed a lingering kiss on her cheek and said "See you later babe." Jerry averted his gaze at the display of affection and walked away. Before Santana can react at what Brittany did, the elevator door was already closing and all she could see what Brittany waving goodbye and all that's left is the prickling sensation in her cheek.

**A/N - A word to the wise Facebook + your parents + you = total disaster. Take it from me. =D**


	7. Chapter 7

_Wow! You guys are awesome. Thanks for taking the time to read my story. The alerts/favorites especially the reviews makes me happy. I know this chapter is a bit late but I've been busy this past few days because work finally caught up with all the procrastination I've been doing. I'll try to update as fast as I can but I won't make any promise. __All reviews are appreciated, apologies for any spelling, grammar and any other mistakes you might find._

_I don't own anything._

**Ryoko05** - Pastor + Facebook = bad idea hehe. Sorry for the delayed update

**Ginny Gin** - I'm glad you liked that part! It was one of my favorite parts to write

**Momo03** - I'd like to think that they are now unconsciously dating each other hehe

**volvo2443, KikiGottaLuvMe, killercereal, elfspirit7** - sorry if I made you guys wait a little longer for this chapter

**Verena R** - I wish I'd had enough common sense like yours to not add my Mom in Facebook

**pleasegirldontyoudieonme** - the embarrassing baby pics in Facebook totally happened to me which generated about 30 comments from my friends and cousins

**bydneley** - you're lucky

**Cali Cheerleading Swag** - aww you made me miss NY more, I hope you keep reading this story, moreNew York moments coming up soon.

**aliesmyles, gotlovetokill** - I'm glad you loved Santana's mom! Be assured that she'll pop in from time to time in this story

**annolopolis** - I know and it's cute!

**Bat-Ninja-Kitty** - we should totally unfriend our parents to keep them from harassing us on Facebook

**The Swede** - I'm glad you liked my story! in my case hell broke loose when my Mom figured out how to write on my wall instead of just sending me a private message.

**DeadFlash27** - LOL

**wkgreen** - slowly but surely =)

**BWyn** - haha don't cave in to your Dad's request!

**Jac Lag** - thanks I'm glad it made you laugh =D

_Thanks for all the love I got for Santana's mother. I wanted to try a different approach to her family and I'm glad I got good feedback.s_

Chapter 7

Brittany was on a roll, she just got a callback for her audition in Chicago and if her streak of luck continues, she would start rehearsals in 3 weeks time. Opening night will be a week after Thanksgiving if she gets in. She's also enjoying teaching dance classes and choreographing at Mike's studio and the extra money was not bad either. The passion she felt when she first came to New York was back. The only downside was that she hardly has time to see her friends in the last 2 weeks. After work she'd go directly to the dance studio for rehearsals which is almost everyday now since the group of dancers they're teaching are scheduled to go on tour after Thanksgiving. Mike asked her to stay after the rehearsal that Friday, she said yes since she wasn't exactly looking forward to chinese takeout and bad movies that is waiting for her on her apartment.

"Hey Britt thanks for staying." Mike said after the last dancer said goodbye to the both of them.

"What's up Mike?" Brittany asked wiping the sweat off her face.

"I actually have a proposal for you. You know that the Nicki Minaj tour will kickoff in 2 weeks right?" Mike said.

"Yeah what about it? Do we need to add more rehearsal hours?" Brittany asked.

'No they're doing great and we'll all probably die of exhaustion if we add anymore practice time. The lead choreographer actually asked me to go on tour with them as his backup. I really want to go and the first stop is in LA." said Mike smiling at Brittany.

"Wow that's great, congratulations!" Brittany said jumping and hugging his friend.

After they pulled apart Mike continued talking, "So the thing is the studio is actually making great money right now and every class is booked plus by December, we are going to start rehearsals for the Beyonce World Tour. I'll be back by then but I don't want to close the studio while I'm away and I was wondering if you'll consider working permanently here. I've been meaning to ask you but I've been busy this week with all the tour stuff. I'm willing to give you a raise from what you're getting at your current job plus other benefits. You don't have to worry about the finances and stuff while I'm away I have an accountant for that and you'll be working with my assistant for the admin stuff in running the studio. And I know that you auditioned for Chicago so you can move the class schedule around to accommodate your schedule just tell it to my assistant so she can make the necessary arrangements. " Mike said looking hopefully at Brittany.

Brittany couldn't believe what she was hearing, she heard herself squeal and enveloped Mike in a bear hug. Mike was still laughing at a flushed Brittany when he asked, "So you'll take it?"

"Are you kidding me? You had me at Beyonce!" Brittany said who couldn't stop grinning.

They started to clean up the studio while they talked about Mike's plans, he was a good guy, a brilliant dancer who is also a good businessman, he plans to use the money he earns on tour to open another dance studio which is why he wants to hire Brittany permanently. Finally they headed out to the New York night with Mike inviting her to hang out with him and Tina which she politely declined. They parted with Mike promising to call her tomorrow for the other details of her employment. Brittany thought that she probably looked like an idiot since she couldn't erase the big smile plastered on her face while she walked home. She decided to enjoy the New York night while silently thanking the heavens for her big break. She picked up Chinese take out on the way home and after showering she flopped down on her couch to watch whatever movie was on. She thought about calling some of her friends to tell them the news but decided against it, she'll tell them after she talks to Mike tomorrow. She also needs to hand in her resignation by Monday since Mike will be gone after Thanksgiving and she will be taking over all his classes by then. Brittany frowned a little when she thought about her impending resignation, it means that she won't be running into Santana anymore. It wasn't as if she she saw her regularly, after the lunch incident she only saw Santana twice and they barely had time to say hi since she's really busy the past couple of weeks. Brittany thought about the stunt she pulled on the elevator kissing Santana in the cheek, she thought Santana will get mad at her or something but she actually sent her a text saying thank you since the douche bag Jerry was now avoiding Santana which is fine by her. She actually misses talking to her, even though they couldn't be more different she never gets bored when she's with her. She made a decision to ask Quinn, Santana and Rachel out to dinner to celebrate over the weekend.

The next day Brittany got a call from Mike in the studio during one of her class. He emailed the formal job offer and they went through the document over the phone. Brittany couldn't be more happy it was a fair deal and the truth was she would have done it for less. She decided to do a bit of shopping after her class to indulge herself a little. She was finally home at 5 pm and before she can call Quinn, she got a text from Santana that simply stated. "Quinn.S.O.S. need you at the apartment ASAP and bring ice cream, Strawberry Cheesecake or Dublin Mudslide or Black and Tan". She was a little perplexed at Santana's message and she tried to call her but she didn't answer but figured it wasn't that serious. Santana would have called instead of texting if anything was wrong. She took a quick shower and went to the nearest supermarket to get the ice cream and she also got 2 boxes of pizza to go. After 15 minutes she was buzzed in at the apartment and when Santana opened the door with a big smile on her face.

"I thought you wouldn't show." Santana said

Brittany smiled back and realized how much she missed Santana's smile, she showed Santana the pizza and ice cream. Santana's smile widened and took the pizza box from Brittany's hand.

"So San what's the emergency and where's Quinn?" Brittany asked as they both placed the food in the counter top at the kitchen.

Santana was busy looking at the grocery bag that that contained the ice cream that she didn't hear Brittany.

"Wow Britt you bought all three flavors and pizza!" Santana said excitedly.

Brittany poked Santana and looked at her with questioning eyes, "San? Emergency? Quinn?"

"Oh yeah." Santana said suddenly remembering why Brittany was there in the first place.

Santana motioned for Brittany and together they stood outside Quinn's bedroom door.

"Quinn, Brittany's here." Santana said while banging at Quinn's door.

"What the fuck Santana?You called in reinforcements?" Quinn yelled at the other side.

"We all know what a big baby you are Fabray that you need two people to wipe your ass. Do whatever you want, Brittany brought pizza and Ben & Jerry's. " Santana spat back.

Brittany gave Santana a confused look but before she can open her mouth the door flew open and Quinn looking like a mad woman went straight to the kitchen but not before throwing her roommate a dirty look.

She took a slice of pizza and started eating, Brittany and Santana followed Quinn in the kitchen and took a slice of pizza each.

Brittany was still confused of what exactly was going on. While Quinn started working on her 2nd slice, Brittany cleared her throat and said, "So anyone want to tell me what's going on? Did you and Rachel break up?"

Quinn ignored Brittany and continued eating her pizza. Santana swallowed and said "Well Fabray here has decided to have an emotional meltdown. She's supposed to meet Mr. and Mr. Berry tonight for the first time and let's just say she's not handling it well."

"It's too much pressure and I'm not sure I'm ready for this type of commitment. Plus they might totally judge me because I'm a lesbian" Quinn said dejectedly while banging her head on the table.

"Okay stop." Brittany said holding Quinn by the hair to stop her from banging her head in the counter.

"Rachel has two gay dads, why would they judge you?" Brittany said matter-of-factly.

Santana snorted while opening the ice cream and said "Exactly my point. Quinny here is just being more neurotic than usual. That's like the best deal ever Fabray, you're gay and your girlfriend's parents are gay!" Santana said her patience on the brink of breaking.

Brittany just nodded her head and turned to Santana, "How long has she been like this?" Brittany asked.

"I've been trying to convince her to move her ass and get ready for the meeting in the last 3 hours." Santana said to the other blonde girl.

Santana then turned to Quinn and told her "Look, Man Hands has been calling you every 15 minutes. You do know you're going to break her precious little heart if you're a no-show."

Quinn glared at Santana when she heard Santana call her girlfriend Man Hands "That's strike 3 Lopez, you're ass is mine."

Santana just rolled her eyes and said, "Whatever Quinn, it's either you take your relationship to the next level or you break up with her."

Brittany nodded and turned to Quinn and softly said, "I know you have commitment issues but I also know you love Rachel and if you let your issues get in the way of that then you'll lose her."

Santana sat down beside Quinn and forced her to look Santana in the eye and stated. "Look Quinn, she makes you happy. She's not asking you to marry her, she just wants you to meet her dads which means you're important to her."

"Rachel is head over heels in love with you. I mean you actually have a calming effect on the hob- I mean Rachel " Santana said stopping herself from spewing another insult when Quinn glared at her for the second time that evening and Brittany had to bite her lips to suppress a laugh.

"I don't want to lose her." Quinn said resignedly

Santana clearly nearing the end of her patience yanked Quinn, pushed her towards the bathroom and shouted "Then move your ass!"

It took about an hour for Quinn to get ready by the time she was done she was already hauling ass to make it to dinner with Rachel's dad. After wishing Quinn luck, Brittany and Santana became painfully aware that they were alone in the apartment. Brittany was the first one to break the silence.

"Hey I forgot to tell you the good news!" Brittany said smiling at Santana. She then told Santana about her new job.

"Wow that's great Britt!" Santana said flashing her dimples at Brittany who was practically beaming at this point. They chatted idly about what they were up to for the past 2 weeks while eating the pizza and ice cream that Brittany brought.

"Has my mom been harassing you on Facebook?" Santana asked while eating another slice of pizza.

"No, I think she's busy, her last status update was that she'll be MIA for awhile in Facebook since she volunteered for The Trevor Project." Brittany said after licking her spoon clean of ice cream.

Santana was momentarily distracted by Brittany's actions and tried to hide her embarrassment when she realized that she has been staring at Brittany's pink tongue. Santana rolled her eyes at what Brittany sad and proceeded to put the pizza box in trash.

"Figures, she hasn't called me in a week and she's worst than a high school kid the way she updates her status like every minute." Santana said.

"She's sweet Santana, I know she does tons of charity work and now she's doing something for the LGBT community." Brittany said giving Santana a smile.

"You know, the reason that pushed her to finally accept me as a lesbian was when she heard about all the teen suicides. I woke up one night and she was sitting in my bed crying telling me not to commit suicide and that she's sorry that it took her a very long time to come around. It was creepy at first with her crying uncontrollably in the middle of the night in my room and I had to reassure her that I had no suicidal tendencies whatsoever. But whatever struggle we had she more than made up for it by doing things like this." Santana said.

"You have a great Mom Santana." Brittany said sincerely.

"Yeah I guess you're right minus the meddling of course." Santana said smiling at Brittany

Brittany looked at the clock and saw that it was already 9 pm. She reluctantly stood up and started cleaning up the mess. Santana was aware that Brittany is getting ready to go home and she felt a little disappointed that the evening was coming to a close. Before she knew it words were tumbling out of her mouth, "Hey Britt, do you want to watch a movie or hang out? That is if you don't have plans tonight." Santana said fighting the blush from creeping to her face.

Brittany grinned at Santana happy that she gets to spend a few more hours with her. "I'd like that, so what movie do you have in mind?" Brittany asked. Santana frowned a little, clearly she did not think this through.

"We can go through Quinn's movies. I only have the Harry Potter collection. They're in the cabinet in the living room you pick one. I'll finish cleaning up." Santana said flashing Brittany her dimples once again.

Brittany went to the living room and rummaged through the DVD's until she found one that made her smile. She turned on the TV and figured out how to work the DVD player. Finally the menu popped in the screen and she sat on the couch waiting for Santana. After a few more minutes Santana joined her and handed her a blanket and a bag of Cheetos.

"I hope you like what I picked out." Brittany said motioning to the screen in front of them. Santana looked at the TV and saw the words Singing in The Rain.

"It's fine." Santana said finding a seat on the opposite end of the couch.

"Have you seen this before?" Brittany asked while draping the blanket over her body.

"I tried to watch it with Quinn and her garden gnome, the keyword is tried. Berry kept singing along and she even tried to dance along the scene with Gene Kelly dancing the rain which was to say the least very annoying." Santana said scowling at the memory of Rachel knocking down the coffee table during a particular complicated step

Brittany laughed and reached out to Santana to push her glasses up her nose. "I promise I won't dance or sing along to the movie."

Santana just smiled at her and pressed play. After a few minutes, both girls were laughing at the movie. During the dream sequence of Gene Kelly where he dances up a storm, Santana heard Brittany sigh. Santana looked at her with a puzzled look on her face.

Brittany gave Santana a small smile and said "I watched this when I was 6 and I think that's when I knew I wanted to dance forever. I probably wrecked havoc in our house because after a week my Mom took me to ballet classes."

"You know I haven't seen you dance yet which isn't fair since you're my "girlfriend". " Santana said teasing Brittany with matching air quotes.

"That's not true, we totally danced at the party." Brittany answered.

"No we just swayed around to make Jackie jealous." Santana said shrugging her shoulders a smirk playing in her lips

"Santana! I didn't even know that Jackie was watching us it was all your idea!." Brittany protesting.

"But if you insist you can come to the studio, I'll even gift you free lessons. from what I remember someone has two left feet." Brittany said giving Santana a smug smile.

Santana's eye widened and before she knew it, Brittany's face met the throw pillow which quickly escalated into an all out pillow fight. Santana was first to concede defeat when Brittany had her pinned on the couch, both of them out of breath from laughing and she could feel the blonde's hot breathe on her face. She was glad that the only light in the room was from the TV or Brittany would have seen the violent blush in her face.

They returned to watching the movie and after a few minutes Brittany yawned and lied down the couch bending her knees so that she fits in her side of the couch. Without thinking about it, Santana put a pillow on her lap and tugged Brittany's hair who looked up her blue eyes questioning.

"Come on, you'll get a cramp I know you were dancing earlier." Santana said patting the pillow on her lap. Brittany didn't say anything and just laid her head on the pillow in Santana's lap. As soon as Brittany's head hit the pillow Santana mentally kicked herself for coming up with the idea since she forgot that she has to place her hands somewhere. Her options were Brittany's side or the backrest of the couch which would put her in a weird angle, she chose the latter.

Brittany woke up when she felt movement under her head. She opened her eyes and saw Santana looking guilty at waking her up.

"Shit sorry Britt, I didn't mean to wake you. The movie is finished and my legs were starting to fall asleep." Santana said

"It's ok San, I need to go home. What time is it anyway?" Brittany said sitting up and trying to stifle a yawn.

"11:30." Santana answered.

Brittany just shrugged and started to look for her shoes under the couch. Before Santana can stop herself she blurted out, "You can sleep here if you want. It's already late and you might get mugged or something."

Brittany stood up and looked at Santana weighing her options, "Ok, thanks San I'll probably fall back to sleep while walking back to my house anyway. I'll take the couch." Brittany said giving Santana a sleepy smile.

"Uh Britt I don't think you'll fit in our couch." Santana said. _Not with your endless legs, _ she mentally added

"So where can I crash?" Brittany asked confused at where Santana was going.

"Take my bed, I'll sleep in the couch." Santana answered.

"No I can't do that." Brittany countered.

Santana knew that they will be up all night if she continued arguing so she settled for the compromise.

"Look we can share if you want, my bed's pretty big, we can probably fit in it and I pretty much stay at one side of the bed so I won't be kicking you or anything, if that's ok with you." Santana said.

Brittany smiled at her sleepily and nodded. Santana led Brittany to her home and handed her a shirt and pajamas to sleep in while Santana went to the bathroom to change into her own sleepwear. After neatly folding her clothes, Brittany looked around Santana's room. She had a queen size bed that has geometric patterns for bedsheets, a desk where a Macbook was placed and she smiled when she saw the stuffed duck she gave Santana in the same desk. A bookcase was above the desk and she smiled when she saw the complete Harry Potter series, a couple of books by Pablo Neruda and the Adrian Mole diaries. The room was very minimalistic which is what's you'd expect from someone like Santana, almost everything was in muted colors. The only decoration in Santana's room was a reproduction of Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night. Brittany stared at the picture and was mesmerized by the swirl of colors of the painting.

Her reverie was broken when she heard Santana enter the room.

"I put out an extra toothbrush in the bathroom so you can brush tour teeth." Santana said who smiled when she saw Brittany staring at Van Gogh's painting.

"It's beautiful isn't it." Santana said while standing beside Brittany.

"Yeah, I can't stop looking at it." Brittany answered

"You should see the original, it's a million times better than this." Santana said enjoying Brittany's awed expression.

"Where is it?" Brittany asked finally looking at the girl standing beside her.

"It's in the Met." Santana answered.

"Wow we should go there sometime." Brittany said.

Santana just smiled at Brittany who saw a fleeting sadness pass by Santana's eyes.

"Left side or right side?" Santana asked Brittany changing the topic.

"Right side." Brittany answered.

"Perfect I sleep on the left side." Santana said giving Brittany a small smile.

Both girls settled down on the bed and Santana turned off the lights. Brittany couldn't get the look that passed Santana's eyes when she mentioned going to the Met, she wanted to ask her about it but she doesn't want to overstep her boundaries.

"Hey Britt." she heard Santana call her name.

Brittany rolled over to face Santana. who said "I had a really great time tonight."

"Me too." Brittany answered.

A moment of silence passed between the two until Santana said good night and rolled over to her side of the bed.

"Good night San." Brittany said and after a few minutes both girls were fast asleep.

Santana woke up with the incessant ringing of her phone, when she tried to reach out to the nightstand beside her bed she was met with resistance to get her phone. She then realized that Brittany had her arms around her, it turns out that while Santana stayed on her side of the bed Brittany clearly didn't and was holding on to Santana now on what can only be described as a death grip. She finally got hold of her phone and without looking at who was calling hit the answer button.

"Hello." Santana said groggily on the phone.

"Santana, it's already noon and you're still in bed?" Mrs. Lopez voice cutting through Santana's sleepy haze.

Santana's eyes widened when she realized who was calling her. She tried to wiggle out of bed but this only caused Brittany to tighten her grip on Santana, Brittany was now literally breathing down her neck.

"Mom, can I call you back?" Santana said whispering not wanting to wake up Brittany.

"Why are you whispering?" Maria asked her daughter.

Before Santana can come up with an excuse, Brittany opened a bleary eye and said "Where am I?"

Santana opened her mouth to answer Brittany who was now rubbing her the sleep out from her eyes but she heard her Mom squeal on the other line.

"Is that Brittany? Give her the phone so I can say hi." Maria demanded.

"Mom you haven't even met her yet." Santana argued.

"Which is the reason why I want to say hi now." Maria countered.

The phone was snatched by Brittany before Santana can say anything.

"Hi Maria, sorry for that Santana is always a bit grumpy in the morning." Brittany said sweetly to the woman on the other line.

"You don't have to tell me that Brittany, I'd have to put up with that since the day she was born." Maria said.

Santana scowled when she heard what her mother said, Brittany saw Santana's face and gave her a wink and a big smile.

Santana just rolled her eyes and got Brittany's attention, "Breakfast?" Santana asked Brittany

Brittany gave her a sweet smile and answered. "Yes please." Santana then headed out to the kitchen to see what she can scrounge up for breakfast.

After a few minutes, Brittany came to the kitchen and handed her the phone, she also took over cooking the french toast that Santana prepared.

"Hi Mom, are you done interrogating my girlfriend?" Santana said sarcastically.

"I did not interrogate your girlfriend who by the way sounds lovely and the family can't wait to meet her personally. So the reason I called is to let you know that there have been a change of plans for Thanksgiving. We decided to visit your sister in France for Thanksgiving, you're welcome to come with us and Brittany of course, Daddy's paying for the tickets. We'll stay for there for 3 weeks. Christian already declined he will be spending it with Isabella's family. I'm sorry for the short notice honey." Maria said.

Santana contemplated her Mom's offer, she sure needed a vacation but the timing was off since they will be deploying her project the week after Thanksgiving.

"Sorry Mom, I can't go, I'll be really busy the week after Thanksgiving and the last thing I need is a bad case of jet lag. Tell Mikaela I miss her, Dad and Christian too." Santana said

"Ok honey, don't make plans for Christmas ok, Mikaela's coming home and we'll be complete by then." Maria said disappointed.

"Sure Mom and oh before I forgot, Quinn was asking me if they can borrow the beach house on Thanksgiving, Rachel's parent's are going on a cruise and they want to spend it there." Santana asked her Mom

"I'm fine with it but don't forget to mention it to your Dad. Why don't you and Brittany join them Santana? I'd hate to think that you'll be spending Thanksgiving alone." Maria said feeling a little guilty.

"Unless you plan on spending the whole of Thanksgiving in bed with your girlfriend that is." Maria said teasing her daughter.

Santana could feel her ears go hot when she heard what her mother said, "Mom!"

"Santana I know you have sex ok, you don't have to pretend that you just had a slumber party with Brittany like you did with your girlfriend in high school. Plus I have all these sex education brochures from PFLAG remember?" Maria said nonchalantly

"God Mom just stop talking! Everything in that statement is just plain wrong!" Santana said whose cheeks were so red you would think that she has scarlet fever.

"Fine be a prude honey. I have to go and meet your Dad at the country club. Give Brittany my love. Bye honey I love you." Maria said to her daughter

"I will, give Daddy a kiss from me and I love you too." Santana said before hanging up the phone and sitting in the kitchen counter.

She was greeted by Brittany with a cup of coffee and a plate of french toast.

"Oh God my Mom's crazy! I'm sorry about that Britt." Santana said looking apologetically at Brittany.

Brittany grinned and said "Your Mom's great San."

Santana just rolled her eyes and continued eating.

"I should be the one saying sorry, I was probably suffocating you last night, I forgot to ask for a pillow I can cuddle." Brittany said shyly.

Santana chuckled and said to the blushing Brittany, "That's ok Britt. I didn't know you were a cuddle monster."

They moved on to other topics while devouring the coffee and french they've had their fill, Brittany got up to wash the dishes but was stopped by Santana.

"I'll get this, you have a dance class today right?" Santana said

"Thanks." Brittany said amazed that Santana remembered.

Brittany went Santana's room to change. After changing back to her own clothes she neatly folded the pajamas that Santana leant her. Before she can stop herself, she breathed in Santana's scent in clothes she borrowed from the girl and smiled.

Santana was still cleaning up when Brittany came out of her room and proceeded to the kitchen.

'Hey San, I'm going thanks for the impromptu slumber party. I had fun." Brittany said smiling at Santana.

Santana smiled back and said "I had a blast too." Brittany then gave Santana a brief hug who was shocked by the gesture. Brittany then headed out to the door but not before giving Santana a final wave.

Brittany was practically bouncing on her way home, while Santana has a grin plastered on her face long after the Brittany left.


	8. Chapter 8

_Thanks for all the reviews/alerts/faves. ! I know some of you are getting a impatient or probably getting bored but I really want to take my time developing their relationship. You could say it comes from my personal belief that great relationships take time to really grow. I've made sure that in this story the attraction between them is apparent from the very beginning, however let's just say that being an adult for me also means additional baggage which for me makes people a bit more cynical and wary when it comes to relationships. I do hope all of you continue to read and review my story. I'm sorry I won't be doing shout outs for this chapter because it's a bit late at my side of the world and I wanted to post this ASAP but do know that I am grateful for each and every review I receive_

_All reviews are appreciated, apologies for any spelling, grammar and any other mistakes you might find. I don't own anything_

**_Erratum:_**_ I mentioned in the last chapter that Van Gogh's Starry Night was in the Met, however after a bit of research I found out at it is in the Museum of Modern Art. My apologies for confusing it with Picasso's Scream which is in the Met and Van Gogh's Starry Night in MoMA. The last time I was in NYC I saw both paintings the same day and I mixed up the museums. _

Chapter 8

"Hey Quinn I talked to my Mom and Dad, you and midget are good to go for Thanksgiving." Santana said when Quinn entered the kitchen at Wednesday night to look for food. Santana offered her the kung pao chicken she bought earlier. Quinn sat down at the chair opposite Santana in the kitchen counter

"I'll let that one slide since we will be spending Thanksgiving at your super awesome house in the Hamptons." Quinn said smiling smugly at Santana.

"Just don't have sex in every room in the house especially my room. Do it in Christian's room I'm pretty sure his room has been defiled enough and you doing it there won't make any difference." Santana said rolling her eyes at Quinn.

Quinn just laughed at Santana. "When are you flying to California by the way?" Quinn asked in between bites of the chicken.

"Uh yeah, you've been gone since Sunday so I didn't have the chance to tell you, they're visiting Mikaela in France for Thanksgiving. I won't be able to go since I have a brutal work week immediately after Thanksgiving."

"Come with us, it's your house after all." Quinn said to Santana.

"And watch you and Berry go all lovey dovey, hell no." Santana said taking the kung pao chicken from Quinn and swapping it with the sweet and sour pork she was previously eating.

"Come on it will be fun, we can probably ask Brittany to come and it would give me an excuse to cook an actual turkey instead of eating soy turkey that Rachel was suggesting the other day." Quinn said looking like she might get sick by the mere thought eating the vegan crap that Rachel loves.

Santana laughed at the expression on Quinn's face."I'll think about it and isn't Brittany going home to Ohio to her family?" Santana asked.

"I'm not sure as far as I know she hasn't been spending Thanksgiving with her family for years." Quinn said who has now moved on to the pork dumplings.

"Damn Quinn, is there like a meat shortage in New York that I don't know about?" Santana said astonished that Quinn has managed to demolish the pork dumplings in record time.

'Shut up, I've been eating meatless meat balls for 2 days straight now." Quinn said glaring at Santana. It was now Santana's turn to look disgusted.

"I don't even want to fucking know what that is." She said to Quinn who has managed to wipeout the 3 boxes of Chinese takeout.

Quinn burped after drinking her water and turned to Santana, "Brittany called me yesterday, did she tell you the good news? And she's inviting us to dinner on Saturday to celebrate."

Santana nodded and said."She told me over the weekend, that was actually the reason why she brought pizza that day."

"Did the two of you go out for drinks after I left?" Quinn asked her roommate.

"No, we just watched a movie and she slept over." Santana said indifferently

Quinn stopped reading the fortune from the cookie that came with the take out and looked at Santana incredulously.

"Hold up Lopez, you slept with Brittany?" Quinn asked her hazel eyes wide with disbelief.

"What! Of course not! Just because you have a very active and disgusting sex life with Frodo's long lost sister doesn't mean everyone is engaging in fornication every time someone sleeps over." Santana spat back at Quinn

A teasing smile formed in Quinn's mouth, "Santana Lopez do you or do you not have a crush on a certain Miss Brittany S. Pierce." Quinn said smirking at Santana who was blushing.

'Fuck off Quinn! I don't have a crush on her." Santana said lying through her teeth.

"Just asking and stop being defensive Lopez." Quinn said the teasing tone never leaving her voice.

Santana ignored her and started to clean up the mess they made on the kitchen. Quinn recognized the walls being put up by her friend and knew that she has crossed a line. With a sigh Quinn called Santana's attention, "Look Santana I'm sorry, I'm just saying you're allowed to feel something. It's been more than 2 years." Quinn said softly

Santana averted her gaze and said, "I'm going for a walk." Quinn just nodded knowing full well that the discussion was over.

Brittany opened her eyes and stretched out her body on a Tuesday morning. Yesterday was her last day at work and although she was a little sad, she knew she is meant to dance. She smiled when she remembered that she got a call from the lead choreographer for Chicago 2 weeks before saying that she got in and gave her the schedule for rehearsals starting next week. Mike gave her the whole week off since he is shutting down the studio for Thanksgiving to spend time with Tina and his family before he leaves for the tour.

The only thing she has planned for today was watching Rachel's play and dinner with Santana and Quinn. Their schedules finally permitted them to spend time an evening together. It felt like Sex and the City, well except for the fact that they were all gay and only Quinn and Rachel was having sex.

Brittany showered and decided to pack for her upcoming trip to the Hamptons. She was surprised when Santana asked her to join them for Thanksgiving because and she quotes "It's not right that she spends Thanksgiving alone and Manhattan was crawling with tourists this time of the year so she should join them plus she doesn't want to spend Thanksgiving watching the dwarf and Quinn make out so she's begging her to join them." She immediately said yes knowing full well that her parents are spending it with her sister and her family and she hasn't spent it with them for 3 years now so why change.

After an hour she was done packing and it was only 9:30 am. She tried flicking through the TV but was immediately bored after 30 minutes of watching infomercials. Her thoughts strayed to a certain person who has been plaguing her mind for the last few weeks. When her semi-relationship with Jackie ended she fell into a deep funk that threw off her goal but now she was determined more than ever to make a living out of her passion and she vowed not to stay off the dating scene for a while, but Santana was making her question her decision.

She was gorgeous, funny, smart and single a rarity in a place like Manhattan, which would raise red flags for some people. Santana was definitely a workaholic which might explain her lack of a social life but Brittany thinks it's more of Santana not interested in dating more than anything. Over the past few weeks their relationship has become a full-blown friendship. They would text each other frequently silly little things like what happened over the last episode of Jersey Shore or who got eliminated in Dancing WIth The Stars. They even had lunch twice during Brittany's last week at work. They definitely enjoyed each other's company but Brittany could feel Santana holding back as if she's constantly checking her walls around her. It doesn't help that they in a weird situation where everyone thought they were in a relationship. Brittany decided to wait and see how this would all pan out. Thinking about Santana reminded her of something that she mentioned during one of their lunch outs.

Santana was flipping through the latest people magazine already bored out of her mind. Her boss forced her to take the Thanksgiving week off to relax. It may or may not have to do with her shoving Jerry when the asshole was making snide remarks about her project that she has been slaving on for over a year now. A million things were running through her head and when she tried to call her boss to check up on the project he hang up on her saying that they need her fresh and rested for the deployment after Thanksgiving.

Santana heard her phone beep on the coffee table hoping that it was her boss telling her to come to office. When she looked at the message a smile crept up her face, she threw the magazine in the coffee table, sent out a quick response and headed to the bathroom to take a quick shower. The message on her phone read:

**Brittany S. Pierce: **Are you up for an adventure? Meet me at Rockefeller Center in an hour. I'm in France. =)

After an hour, Santana made her way to Rockefeller Center and she could already feel the biting autumn air on her skin even though she was already wearing 2 layers of clothing. She couldn't erase the goofy grin on her face as she fought her way through the French Flag in Rockefeller Center, as expected it was already crawling with tourists and there she was standing under French flag scanning the crowds looking for her. Brittany finally found Santana among the sea of people and waved at her. Finally Santana was able to fight her way through the throngs of people and she was rewarded by a brief hug from Brittany.

"You came!" Brittany said excitedly.

"So where is this adventure you're taking me to?" Santana said in an intriguing voice.

"Hmmm about that, I don't have the whole day planned out but I have some things I want to see." Brittany said grinning at Santana.

Santana shrugged and returned Brittany's grin, "Ok you lead the way then."

They both managed to get out of Rockefeller Center with Brittany leading. They talked about the trip to the Hamptons, they even made a bet on whether or not Quinn will mess up the turkey. They were walking for a few minutes dodging tourists when Brittany stopped and smiled at Santana, "We're here." Brittany said smiling at Santana.

Santana has been oblivious to where they were going but immediately recognized the building. Something flickered in her eye and Brittany caught the slight hesitation but was relieved when Santana offered her a small smile and simply said "The Starry Night."

Brittany bought them tickets and immediately made their way to see the painting. As soon as Brittany saw the painting her breath hitched in her throat, it was probably one of the most beautiful thing she has ever seen in her life. The swirls of color were pulsing with life. Santana was also staring at the painting mesmerized, it was like meeting an old friend, the one in her apartment could never compare to the one she was staring at right now.

Santana forced her eyes away from the painting to look at her companion beside her. Brittany's eyes were transfixed to painting, as if she was absorbing every color, every brushstroke and she couldn't have been more beautiful.

"Hey." Santana said softly with a wide smile on her face. Brittany looked at her briefly and returned her gaze to the painting and with a dreamy voice said "It's so beautiful Santana, I would stay in this spot forever if it means that I get to see this every second of the day."

Santana smiling and still looking at Brittany softly said, "Yeah it's beautiful."

They looked at the other works of Van Gogh with Santana acting like a tour guide. She told Brittany about the brief and tragic life of Vincent Van Gogh. Brittany was soaking in the information like a sponge and she even commented on the stark difference between Starry Night and The Potato Eaters.

'When he went to Paris, he became immersed in the art movement during that time and he started painting using brighter colors." Santana explained.

"He painted The Starry Night and The Olive Trees when he was in the hospital in the South of France, he said that The Starry Night to him in a dream." Santana added.

"You really like him huh?" Brittany asked Santana after hearing everything she knows about the artist.

"He's brilliant." Santana replied smiling at Brittany. They reluctantly left after they both couldn't ignore the pangs of hunger in their body due to their lack of lunch, they spent a few more minutes looking at The Starry Night. Before they left Santana excused herself and went somewhere. She came back with a bag from the museum store and handed it to Brittany.

"What's this for?" Brittany asked peeking at the plastic.

"Just a little thank you for dragging me here today." Santana answered shyly.

Brittany opened the bag and saw a book titled "Van Gogh and the Colors of the Night." She grinned and pulled Santana in for a hug. Santana returned the hug with a goofy grin on her face. They made their way back to Rockefeller Center to buy food. The amount of people in Rockefeller Center doubled and it was impossible for them to find somewhere to eat.

"I have and idea come on." Santana said to Brittany. After a few minutes of walking they arrived at the steps of the New York Public Library where they took a seat. Santana handed Brittany her coffee while Brittany offered Santana the cream cheese biscuits they bought at Dean and Deluca. They ate quietly enjoying the hum of the city passing by.

"What's the name of the lions again?" Brittany asked looking at the marble lions.

"This one here is Patience and that one is Fortitude." Santana said pointing to each of the statues.

"So do you hang out here a lot?" Brittany asked Santana

"Before when I was still studying now there's just no time." Santana replied wistfully.

They talked about their earlier experiences in New York especially Brittany who felt like a fish out of water. Santana who lived in LA knew that she wanted to try living in New York ever since she went on a trip with her family.

"Britt can I ask you a question?" Brittany said looking at Santana

"Yeah sure." Brittany said while nibbling on another cream cheese biscuit.

"It's a bit personal and you don't have to answer if you don't want to." Santana said, Brittany just shrugged.

"It's actually been bothering me ever since we went to that party." Santana continued.

"Come on San just spit it out." Brittany said nudging Santana.

"Why Jackie? I'm sorry she's beautiful and all but she's like the biggest bitch to grace the upper east side." Santana said not looking at Brittany.

Brittany sighed and looked at Santana who looked back at her, brown eyes meeting blue.

Brittany was the first one to break the stare and she absently looked at the tourists trying to get their picture taken with the lions.

"I know she's a bit shallow." Brittany said while Santana tried to suppress a snort.

"But the thing with Jackie is that beneath all that confidence, she's like the most insecure person I know, her parents pretty much let's her do what she wants and they give her everything she wants. She told me once that she doesn't know what she's supposed to do with her life and that she envies me because I knew what I wanted to do with mine." Brittany explained.

"I know that doesn't really excuse her for being a stuck up bitch. I was really infatuated and she's really sweet when it's just the two of us. I chose to ignore the fact that she was sleeping around and I have no one to blame but myself with what happened. I mean all the signs were there and I was vulnerable with all the rejection I was getting at every corner and Jackie was there taking me to all these fancy restaurants. I must have confused all the attention she was giving me for actual love until I told her what I felt and she flat out rejected me." Brittany said.

"I'm sorry." was all Santana could say.  
>Brittany looked at Santana who was looking at the ground at this point.<p>

"Why? You're not the one who told me that she's not into relationships." Brittany said trying to lighten up the mood.

"No, it's just that I know that it's not actually a work in the park getting over someone." Santana answered with sincerity.

"Right now I'm glad that I got out of that funk I was in." Brittany said giving Santana a small smile.

Santana smiled back and said "Come on let me make it up to you for bringing her up." holding out her hand for Brittany to take.

She gladly took Santana's hand and they stood up. Santana hailed a cab and told the driver to take us to East 60th Street. It took them a few minutes to arrive at their destination.

Brittany smiled when she realized where Santana was taking her. Thankfully the waiting list was not that long in the usually busy Serendipity 3. Santana gave her name and they passed their time looking at the various knick knacks on display. After 30 minutes they were seated and they decided to split the frozen hot chocolate and the pecan pie.

The chatted idly about Brittany's upcoming gig in Chicago with Santana promising to watch on opening night when Brittany sported her signature pout when Santana won't gee a concrete answer on when she can watch. They talked about their favorite spots in the city and how Brittany almost gave up and planned to go to California to try her luck there but New York had an invisible hold on her that she can't explain. They talked for what seemed like hours and made a promise to take each other to their favorite spots in the city.

While waiting for the bill, Santana looked at her watch and her eyes grew wide.

"Shit Britt, we need to hurry, we're gonna be late." Santana said to Brittany.

Santana paid despite protests from Brittany saying that she's paying for dinner later anyway.

It took them a few minutes to get a cab since the rush hour was already starting. They managed to make it on time with an annoyed Quinn waiting for them outside who raised her eyebrows when she saw the tow of them sharing the same cab but didn't say anything. It turns out Quinn was the guest speller that day and she just handed them their tickets and went backstage to say hi to Rachel and get ready. They got on their seats and watched the play laughing along with audience. Santana eve whistled when Quinn got a particular hard word right.

Brittany was stealing looks at Santana the whole night and couldn't help but notice how beautiful Santana was when she smiled and her laugh was so infectious that Brittany found herself wanting to hear it again and again. When the play was finished the audience gave the cast a standing ovation and waited for Quinn and Rachel outside the theater.

They squeezed themselves in a cab with Quinn complaining that Santana should have brought her car and Santana had to explain that she and Brittany spent the day wandering through the city and that she lost track of time. Quinn just cocked her eyebrow and did not push the subject further.

They arrived at the restaurant and Brittany gave her name for the reservation. Once seated Rachel proceeded to interrogate them about her acting wanting feedback to which Santana promptly rolled her eyes. Rachel was also proud of Quinn who managed to spell stay inside the play longer than most guest spellers. They toasted to Brittany's new career with both Rachel and Quinn promising to also watch on opening night. Quinn asked Brittany what the two of them did all day and Brittany showed her the book that Santana gave.

Quinn looked at Santana with an unreadable expression when she realized where the book was from. Santana ignored Quinn and drank her wine. The talked moved to their upcoming trip to the Hamptons and how everyone was excited.

The dinner ended and all four girls made their way outside. Rachel and Quinn was doing a very public goodbye while Brittany and Santana tried to ignore them.

"Thank you for dinner." Santana said

"You're welcome and thank you for this you didn't have to." Brittany said holding up the book Santana gave her

Santana just nodded and said "Today was really great."

"It was, we'll do it again soon right?" Brittany said giving Santana a hopeful smile.

"Yes I promise." Santana said smiling back

They were interrupted by Quinn and Rachel who was finished making out. They all said goodbye to each other and Brittany acting on pure instinct pulled Santana in for a hug and gave her a lingering kiss on the cheek. Santana was taken aback but returned the hug a huge grin plastered on her face.

Inside the cab, Quinn broke the silence by asking Santana, " So you went to MoMA?". Santana sighed and said' "Yeah, well actually I didn't know we were going there, it was kind of a surprise from Brittany, she really wanted to see The Starry Night."

Quinn reached out and squeezed Santana hand and said "I think it's great San." Quinn said softly.

Santana gave her roommate a small smile and answered "It is."


	9. Chapter 9

_I will never get tired of thanking everyone reading my story! Thanks for all the alerts/favorites and reviews! __All reviews are appreciated, apologies for any spelling, grammar and any other mistakes you might find._

_I don't own anything._

**Jac Lag** - You caught it! I'm sorry about that, I was really sleepy when I wrote that last part. I hope this chapter makes up for it.

**Cali Cheerleading Swag** - Thanks! I miss NYC too.

**RansMuse, BrittanaFTW, gotlovetokill** - Thanks for liking the slow build up of their relationship

**ggbonz**- whoops! Sorry about that I'll try to edit the last chapter when I have time. Thanks for reading =)

**Blueskkies** - That will be revealed soon. Thanks for reading!

**DeadFlash27** - Yes we will see her soon

**Teddie The Swede, Verena R, shipperlins, veras333,aliesmyles, lady gaga rules, BWyn, elfspirit7, Momo30, dondi, Lanter, IWatchTheStars,bulale - **Thanks for reading my story! especially those who regularly give feedback, it makes my humdrum life much better!

Chapter 9

Brittany was trying hard to distract Santana with small talk who was now sporting a full on scowl. Quinn and Rachel has decided to make the most of the 2 1/2 hours travel from Manhattan to the Lopez's house in the Hamptons by making out in the backseat.

Santana's bad mood started when Rachel insisted on leaving an hour earlier than what they originally planned. Quinn offered to drive but that means Rachel will be in the passenger seat and therefore has control on the songs they will be listening to. After an internal struggle between getting a nap in the backseat and listening to Rachel belting out the soundtrack to Funny Girl, Santana chose the former since with Berry singing she would probably be awake for the whole trip anyway.

Santana and Brittany are now trying hard to ignore the fact that Rachel was now moaning while Quinn leaves hickeys all over Rachel's neck. Santana wanted to slam on the brakes to pull the two girls out of their sex haze, thank God for Brittany who was trying to distract her with idle chat.

An hour into the trip, Quinn and Rachel took a break from their make out session and Quinn started handing out sandwiches to everyone. Santana was surprised when Brittany carefully tore of a piece of sandwich and fed it to her, while her hands are still on the wheel. She saw Quinn look at what transpired through the rear view mirror, her hazel eyes full of questions, Santana ignored Quinn's pointed look and focused on the road and Brittany's hands feeding her. She even wiped Santana's mouth when she saw a hint of mustard in her lips and held the Santana's soda while she sips from the straw.

Santana smiled at Brittany and murmured thanks, her cheeks slightly flushed from the repeated contact of Brittany's finger to her lips. After their New York adventure Santana has been thinking about the blonde more and more. After going home from their dinner with Quinn and Rachel, she stayed up tossing and turning in bed, her mind plagued by thoughts of Brittany, she even stared at the stuffed duck that Brittany gave her as if waiting for it to speak and tell her the secrets of the universe. She also spent an unhealthy amount of time browsing through Brittany's Facebook, smiling at the various pictures of Brittany and staring at their picture together in Central Park admiring the way Brittany's hair glows under the sun. She finally fell asleep at 3 am with the final thought that she was officially going crazy. Brittany was awakening feelings deep inside Santana that she has trained herself to be numb to which is why she was both dreading and looking forward to this trip with Brittany.

They finally arrived at the Lopez's 3 storey house and Brittany was impressed. Santana wasn't lying when she told Jackie that they had a mansion in the Hamptons. They unloaded their things and Santana told them to pick whatever room they want except for her parent's room. Quinn and Rachel picked the guest bedroom while Brittany picked what appears to be Mikaela's room. The room was sparsely decorated with framed pictures of the family probably during one of their vacations here in the Hamptons. She heard a knock on door and Quinn peeked inside the room.

"Britt, we're going out to pick up the turkey and buy food. Wanna come with us? Santana's being grumpy and said she will take a nap." Quinn said

"Is it ok if I stay here? I'm going to try and catch some shut eye too." Brittany answered

"Yeah sure, do you need anything?" Quinn asked.

"No I'm fine." Brittany said giving Quinn a small smile.

"Ok see you later." Quinn replied then closed the door behind her.

Brittany started sorting out her things and putting them in the closet. She changed into linen pants and a simple white shirt and laid her body on the bed and slept.

Santana woke up after 2 hours of nap time feeling refreshed. The house was quiet which means the midget, Quinn and Brittany was still out. She decided to freshen up a little and see if she can scrounge up some coffee in the kitchen. She was surprised when she Brittany at the kitchen sitting in the counter flipping through the book she gave her. Brittany looked up and gave Santana a dazzling smile.

"Hey did you have a good nap?" Brittany asked.

Santana gave Brittany a lazy smile and said, "Yeah, I forgot how peaceful it is out here. Where's Quinn and and her gnome?"

Brittany chuckled and just shook her head at one of Santana's "nickname" for Rachel. "They went out to buy food. I didn't go. I also took a nap." Brittany answered.

Santana just shrugged and started looking at the cupboards until she saw a lone bag of coffee. She started the coffee maker and sat down opposite Brittany who looked entranced while looking at a picture in the book. Santana slid her body forward the counter to get a better look at what Brittany was looking at. She smiled when she saw that Brittany was looking at Van Gogh's Cafe Terrace, Arles at Night.

"Enjoying the book?" Santana asked grinning at Brittany.

Brittany was a bit startled when she looked up and saw Santana's face close to her own. Santana must have felt the split second tension and slid off the counter to check on the coffee.

"You want some coffee?" Santana asked with her back turned to the blonde.

"Sure I'll have some and yes I'm very much enjoying the book." Brittany said smiling at Santana who handed her a cup of coffee and pushed the sugar and cream towards her.

Brittany closed the book and looked at Santana who was putting cream on her coffee.

"Hey San want to give me a tour of your Casa De Lopez?" Brittany asked grinning at Santana.

Santana gave her a small smile and said "Sure." Still clutching her coffee Santana proceeded to show Brittany around the house.

"So this is the family room and outside is the roof deck." Santana said gesturing to the room with the flat screen TV complete with its own home theater and several gaming consoles on the third floor of the house.

They went outside and Santana smiled at the look that crossed over Brittany's face when she saw that the deck has a full view of the ocean.

"It's beautiful." Brittany said to no one in particular while admiring the view.

"Yeah it's not too shabby." Santana said grinning widely.

"So tell me how could someone with a house in the Hamptons not turn out to be a snotty little princess?" Brittany asked Santana

"Well first of all, this is my parents house not mine. I think my they bought this house when my Dad was going through midlife crisis and instead of buying a Ferrari my mom convinced him or more likely forced my dad into submission into buying a house here instead, saying it was a better investment rather than a hideous car that will only attract the 'hoes' of LA, my mom's exact words. We actually rent it out for anyone who wants to stay here, mostly family friends to cover the maintenance costs. Of course we get it for free we just have to tell Mom and Dad." Santana said with a chuckle.

"Yeah well your mom's a genius I say. You didn't answer my question though." Brittany said smiling at Santana

Santana chuckled and looked at Brittany, "First off my mom would be the one to kill me if I turn out to be an unemployed socialite. They wouldn't give me any money so I'll just be plain unemployed. When my dad was still a resident doctor, he was practically earning nothing and my mom was working as an accountant and at the same time doing freelance work during tax season to support the family. We didn't go to a fancy private school but they paid for college and Mom was always good with money. We actually had to wash the car, do the laundry, wash the dishes and cook dinner if we want extra money. She told me once when I wanted a new car that I have to get a job to pay for it because money doesn't grow on trees. They gave us everything we need but not everything we want. Looking back I couldn't have asked for a better life lesson than that." Santana said. She didn't say it often but she was proud of how they were raised.

"Up to now Mom still does freelance work as an accountant for her friends, doing their taxes and I think she joined the country club for the sake of meeting rich people too lazy to do their own taxes or are being screwed over by their accountants by giving them a discount for her services. She says that she wants her own money and not just be the wife waiting for her husband to dole out money monthly." Santana added.

"Wow you're mom's amazing." Brittany said admiring the woman who raised Santana.

"Don't tell her that, it will add to her already inflated ego. So anymore questions?" Santana said jokingly.

"Why didn't you go to medical school like your Dad? I mean I would imagine him wanting another doctor in the family?" Brittany said wanting to take advantage of the fact that Santana's walls are lowered today.

"Christian took care of that, he wasn't forced to go to medical school but I guess he really wanted to be a doctor. He's a resident doctor now in LA but not where my Dad works he doesn't want that pressure on him." Santana answered.

They both sat down on the chairs in the deck and continued to sip their coffee. "So are you like the black sheep of the family or something?" Brittany teasingly asked Santana.

Santana gave a small laugh and said "You would think that don't you, that would be Mikaela but she's not so bad, she just took a year off after high school bumming around LA until she decided she wanted to study abroad, she's taking up Literature in France. I guess my parents were just glad that she wanted to go to college at all which is why they agreed to pay for her tuition but she has to pay for room and board. Your turn, tell me about your family." Santana said.

"Well, you know that weren't really keen on me being gay. We're actually a typical middle class American family. My mom worked as a teacher in grade school, my dad is a business analyst. My sister now lives in Chicago with her husband. Last time we talked she wanted me to come to Thanksgiving but I said no. Last time I spent it there was really awkward. Now I just spend Christmas with them. They're not bad people I think they just don't know how to treat me after I told them I was gay. I didn't exactly come with a manual. They call me from time to time to ask me how I am but I don't think they'll be giving comments to my Facebook status anytime soon and I'm pretty sure they don't have Facebook." Brittany teasingly added.

Out of reflex, Santana put her hand on top of Brittany and said, "They'll come around someday." Brittany looked at the hand on top of hers admiring how good they looked together, olive skin against her own pale skin.

"Hey wanna help us with the groceries?" Santana heard Quinn's voice breaking the silence that settled between the two of them, she reluctantly pulled her hand away from Brittany.

"I thought you had an elf helping you Quinn." Santana answered a devious smile playing on her lips.

"You are so bad Santana." Brittany said trying hard to contain her laughter.

"That's strike one Santana!." Quinn shouted back

Santana just rolled her eyes and held out her hand to Brittany and said "Come on, they might start fornicating at the kitchen if we don't show up." They were already at the car to get help Quinn and Rachel carry them inside the house when Santana realized that she was still holding Brittany's hands and immediately missed Brittany warmth when Rachel unceremoniously gave Santana two bags to carry and she had to let go.

The four girls had a very satisfying lunch courtesy of Quinn who had to cook two kinds of sauce for her awesome pasta because Rachel is a vegan. Santana almost fell down from her chair from laughing too hard when Rachel forced Quinn to eat the meatless meatballs saying it was Quinn's favorite, she laughed even harder when Brittany made a face when Rachel told her that it was eggplant, tofu and some other stuff that Brittany doesn't even know exists.

They all decided to head to the beach after lunch and hang out along with 2 bottles of wine. It was too cold to actually go for a dip in the ocean but the breeze was pleasant enough to warrant a day in the beach. They chatted idly about living out the rest of their life in the Hamptons drinking wine and walking down the beach every afternoon.

After they finished the first bottle of wine, Quinn and Rachel decided to take a walk on the beach which left Santana and Brittany on the blanket they spread out. Both girls let the comfortable silence fill them, enjoying the sound of the ocean.

Brittany opened the book Santana gave her while Santana laid down the blanket and closed her eyes. After what seemed like hours Santana opened her eyes and saw Brittany looking out at the ocean while occasionally glancing down at the book she was holding. She saw Brittany sigh and couldn't help but smile at the sight, everything was so peaceful and Santana experiences one of those perfect moments in life where everything is right in the world but just like each and every one of those moments it was fleeting.

Brittany must have sensed Santana's eyes on her and looked down with a smile on her face.

"Nice nap?" Brittany asked

"Hmmm." Santana answered not bothering to say yes. She sat up, yawned and reached for the wine. She looked at Brittany who was now staring at Van Gogh's Starry Night over the Rhone.

"I think he was obsessed with the stars and night when he painted that." Santana said pertaining to the painting.

"How come you know so much about him? I mean as far as I know you're a computer something." Brittany said scrunching up her nose.

Santana laughed at Brittany's expression while trying to remember what she does for a living.

"During my first year in NYU, I had History of Modern Art and I did a report on Van Gogh. It was love at first sight." Santana said not looking at Brittany instead she stares out into the ocean lost in memories.

Brittany sensed that there is more to the story than what Santana was saying especially since she saw how she hesitated before finally going inside the museum and she decided to thread the topic lightly.

"So you got obsessed with him?" Brittany said offering Santana a small smile which she reciprocated.

"You could say that. He was an outcast, nobody really understood him except for his brother and in some ways I felt like that especially in high school. He went to Arles, the south of France where he fell in love with the landscape and light and that happened to me when I first set foot in New York." Santana said still refusing to meet Brittany's eyes

Brittany was good at reading between the lines and something about what Santana said didn't seem right. She remembered that Santana moved back to California after graduation and returned last year. If she loved New York so much why did she leave after graduating from NYU? Then something clicked inside Brittany, something that would explain Santana's behavior and her lack of interest in relationships.

"Santana." Brittany said softly to Santana who by now was lost in her own thoughts. Santana looked at her and for the first time she saw something in those brown eyes that she failed to see all this time. Inside those brown depths was obvious pain.

Brittany only had one question in mind while brown eyes conveyed what Santana has been trying to hide all along.

"What's her name?" Brittany asked her blue eyes never leaving Santana's own.

After what feels like an eternity, Santana broke the eye contact and stared right back at the waves, she could see Quinn and Rachel making their way back to them holding hands. She didn't know how Brittany figured it out but something about Brittany made her want to tell what happened all those years ago that only a few people privileged enough knew about.

With a sigh, Santana uttered the name she has avoided saying for years, "Allison, her name is Allison."


	10. Chapter 10

_I will never get tired of thanking everyone reading my story! Thanks for all the alerts/favorites and reviews! All reviews are appreciated, apologies for any spelling, grammar and any other mistakes you might find._

_I don't own anything._

**The Swede** - Hopefully I don't destroy it for you :)

**pahke** - Thanks for loving the slow buildup, I was afraid people are getting bored with my story

**Momo30** - Thanks for the review, we'll get there :)

**anonythemouse** - Wow thanks for your detailed review! Hope you enjoy this chapter

**wkgreen** - yep another one going down!

**there., veras333** - thanks for the review!I hope this chapter is up to par

**sheeshdubs,Bwyn** - and now I present to you Allison.

Chapter 10

Before Santana could say another word, they were interrupted by Quinn and Rachel who just came back from their walk. Brittany wanted to strangle the two of them for intruding just when Santana was about to tear down one of her walls and let Brittany in.

Santana gave her a small smile and squeezed Brittany's hand sending goose bumps all over her body. The four girls silently packed their belongings and headed to the house.

Santana couldn't help but be slightly jealous of Quinn and Rachel who had their arms around each other with the smurf leaning her head on Quinn's shoulder. She didn't know what possessed her to suddenly spill out Allison's name to Brittany but when she asked for her name, she couldn't bring herself to lie not when she's looking at her as if she can see right through her soul. These past few months she had been feeling lonelier than ever, she tried to tie it to the fact that New York was a landmine of memories with Allison. She couldn't help but feel that it has more to do with the fact that she actually missed caring for someone and that Brittany magnified these type of feelings somehow.

Quinn started cooking their dinner while Santana took a bath and Rachel was talking on the phone with her publicist. Brittany decided to help in the kitchen and to try and get some answers from Quinn.

"Need any help?" Brittany asked Quinn who was busy chopping what looks like tofu.

Quinn smiled and said "Could you hand me the pan?" Brittany handed Quinn the pan and sat on the kitchen counter.

"Quinn?" Brittany said clearing her throat

"Yeah?" Quinn answered while cooking Rachel's tofu with broccoli.

"Why did Allison leave Santana?" Brittany asked the other girl quietly. The question certainly got Quinn's attention since she whipped her head so fast to look at Brittany, her hazel eyes questioning.

"Santana mentioned her name when you and Rachel went for a walk." Brittany explained.

Quinn sighed and turned her attention back to the food she was cooking. "She broke Santana's heart." Quinn said simply not really answering Brittany's question

"I know that but why?" Brittany said.

"Britt it's very complicated, all I know is that she had this major gay panic and when Santana came back to New York, she refused to see her and then Allison moved back to New Jersey where she got a shiny new boyfriend." Quinn said, sarcasm dripping on her voice.

Quinn turned off the stove and looked at Brittany in the eye, "It's really not my story to tell and Santana has been through a lot. She trusts you Britt, her mentioning Allison's name to you is a big deal. Only a few people know what really happened between the two of them. Just give her time, I know it sounds cliche Santana's like an onion you have to peel her layer by layer."

Brittany just sighed and went back to getting the plates they were using for dinner. Quinn poured the vegan dish she made in a serving plate and suddenly gave Brittany a kiss on the cheek whispering "You're doing a great job so far, peeling back those layers and believe me she's worth it." Quinn then gave Brittany a mischievous smile before heading to the dining room.

Santana was quieter than usual during dinner and she even let Rachel talk nonstop about her upcoming audition for Mamma Mia without insulting her. This did not go unnoticed by Brittany and she was determined to know what really happened.

After dinner Santana opened the electric fireplace in the living room while they lounged around thoroughly satisfied with the meal Quinn prepared. Quinn and Rachel as usual were cuddling in the couch while kissing each other lazily. Santana opened another bottle of red wine and she and Brittany was sipping their wine quietly.

Brittany was trying hard to concentrate on the magazine she was pretending to read but her attention was directed to Santana who was staring at the fire, her eyes brown eyes somber and the book she was holding clearly not enough distraction for the thoughts in her head.

Rachel and Quinn said goodnight saying Quinn has to get up early to start on their Thanksgiving feast but the way their hands are roaming around each other suggests otherwise. Santana just rolled her eyes at the two and went back to sipping her wine and staring at the fire. After Rachel and Quinn left, Santana and Brittany let the silence envelop them, neither girl attempting to break the silence. Brittany wanted so much to broach the subject that has been bothering her to Santana but knew that this might cause her to retreat in her own shell again.

After a few more minutes, Brittany stood up intending to call it a night.

"Goodnight Santana." Brittany said softly

Out of nowhere Santana's hand reached out to Brittany and held it in her own. Santana looked up at her and said shyly, "Hey do you mind if you keep me company for a while?"

Brittany just nodded and sat down next to Santana on the floor. Santana sipped on her wine as if trying to buy time for what she was about to tell Brittany. Brittany on the other hand joined Santana in staring at the fire. Almost like a whisper Santana started talking.

"I broke up with my high school girlfriend before going to college because we both didn't want that commitment knowing that we'll meet new people. I met Allison in my History of Art classShe was an Art major and she became my partner for that Van Gogh report I told you about. She was funny and she had this habit of nitpicking each and every art piece we see. We'd have these endless discussions about Van Gogh. She actually hated him saying he's overrated so I researched all these things about him to challenge her. I don't know how but we became friends afterwards." Santana said with a faraway look on her face as she continued to stare at the flames before them.

"Being in a relationship was not exactly a top priority for me. I wanted the whole college experience, the party, the freedom and people didn't care that I liked girls was very liberating. I met Quinn in the GSA and we immediately bonded. We'd volunteer at the youth center for LGBT and Allison would sometimes come with us. She was initially taken aback when I told her I was gay but she shrugged it off. Quinn and Allison was a different story, they're civil but they weren't exactly jumping for joy when I force them to hang out together. Quinn always said that Allison was jealous of her but I brushed it off since Allison said that she was straight." Santana continued and Brittany knew that this story was something that only a few people are privy to.

"During our sophomore year, Allison and I were closer than ever and she seemed to be relieved when Quinn started dating another volunteer at the youth center which also means more time for me and Allison. Quinn has been bugging me since freshman year that Allison has feelings for me but I didn't want to think about it. I've had my fair share of unrequited love in high school for a friend of mine who was straight as a ruler and it was crazy so I didn't want another bout with that feeling." Santana said not looking at Brittany, her brown eyes unreadable.

"But I started noticing things like when we'd watch a movie together and somehow our hands would be intertwined during the movie. I was never a touchy person even with my friends but with her it was easy. She'd kiss me in the cheeks to say goodnight and when she would sleep over at the dorm we would fall asleep with our arms around each other. The kiss on the cheek became a smack on the lips and I was confused as hell with what was happening but I knew I was in trouble when I started to fall for her. I told Quinn everything and she told me to confront Allison. I did and she told me that we were best friends and reiterated that she was straight. Needless to say I was crushed and I was determined to put some distance between us. I even tried dating other girls that Quinn would regularly set me up with. Allison became needy and would usually grill me about the girls I am dating. There was this one time that she found out that I slept with someone and she ignored me for a week." Santana smiled sadly at the memory.

"At that point she was driving me crazy with the push and pull of our relationship and we weren't even dating. After that week I was ready to cut her off my life but she came back apologetic saying I was her best friend and that she was selfish wanting me all to herself. I couldn't help myself from forgiving her because I knew then that I was in love with her and I figured I'd rather have her as a friend than not have her at all." Brittany was looking at Santana who was sipping at her wine as if looking for the courage to say the next part of her story.

"Nothing really changed with our relationship and I stopped dating because she wouldn't talk to me for days when I do. Then on her birthday I bought her this charm bracelet with an easel and a paintbrush, I didn't know what possessed me to walk in the fucking rain on the eve of her birthday to go to her dorm and give her a stupid bracelet. She was shocked when she saw me and after handing her the bracelet I ran like an idiot. She caught up with me halfway through my own dorm and she said that I forgot something and then she kissed me. We became official that night but we didn't really discuss her sexuality. We had to keep the relationship a secret and only Quinn knew about us. Once again I was inside the closet but I figured if I get to be with her then I'm ok with it. We went out for two years and by the time I graduated I was head over heels in love with her and I wanted for us to move in together and start our life since I was so sure that she was the one. She said yes and said that she was now ready for us to go public because she feels the same way about me that I was the one meant for her. I went to California for the summer vacation and when I went back to New York she refused to talk to me again." Santana said her voice raw with emotion.

Brittany didn't know what to say so she just took Santana's hand and squeezed it and Santana leaned her head on Brittany's shoulder with her eyes closed, exhausted from opening up old wounds. She didn't know what possessed her to tell Brittany but when she asked for her name, she couldn't bring herself to lie not when she's looking at her as if she can see right through her soul.

"Is that the reason why you went back to California?" Brittany asked quietly.

"Yes, when I finally got to talk to her, she told me that she made a mistake and that I was just a phase and accused me making her think that she was gay and to add insult to injury she was already dating this guy her parents introduced to her. Back then I couldn't deal with living in New York when every corner I turn there are memories of us. While in California I wasn't exactly trying to move on with my life. I drank 4 times a week and had one night stands 2 out of those 4 times just because I was passed out on the other 2 times. Mom and Dad wasn't happy and they threatened to kick me out, then one day I woke up and Mom shoved me a piece of paper with address of every IT firm in California. She even had Steve Jobs email address in that list complete with a note saying that I should prioritize applying to the apple guy who made the wonderful iPhone." Santana chuckled lightly at the memory.

"I'm sorry for taking you to see Starry Night." Brittany said softly.

Santana lifted up her head from Brittany's shoulder and tilted Brittany's chin towards her so she can look at her in the eye. "Don't, she hated that painting, I should have gone sooner. I can't keep on running away from everything." Santana said a small smile on her lips.

Brittany was drowning, she was drowning in Santana's brown eyes and she wanted nothing more in that moment to pull Santana to her and kiss her until she forgets every hurt she has ever felt. Something flickered in Santana's eye like she understood what Brittany was saying with her eyes. Brittany was about to close the aching distance between her and Santana when they heard Rachel singing Lay All Your Love On Me on the way to the kitchen and just like that the spell was broken.

Santana looked like cold water has been dumped on her head, she pulled away from Brittany avoiding her eyes.

"We should probably call it a night before the midget starts singing Dancing Queen and strangle her and throw her body in the ocean." Santana said trying to make the situation light.

Brittany just nodded and offered Santana her hand to pull her up the floor. She couldn't help the feeling of disappointment that she felt and for once she understood Santana's desire to strangle Rachel.

They walked side by side to the direction of the bedrooms and they both stopped in Brittany's room. Before Santana can say goodnight, Brittany pulled her in for a hug and kissed her forehead before whispering goodnight.

Santana could feel the goosebumps rising in her skin originating in the patch of skin that Brittany's lips touched. She had to shake her head a couple of times to get the feeling of lightheadedness off before she could head back to her own room where she was sure her dreams would be filled with piercing blue eyes and pink lips.

The following day Brittany woke up a little later than usual because she spent the better part of last night thinking about Santana's brown eyes and dimples. When she went of her of her room she could already hear the pots and pans in the kitchen. She headed to the kitchen to offer her help and was greeted by Quinn and Rachel who were in the middle of preparing their Thanksgiving meal.

"Good morning Brittany." Rachel said before handing her freshly brewed coffee. She regretted thinking about strangling Rachel last night.

"Thanks Rachel and good morning to you too and Quinn." Brittany said offering the two girls a sweet smile.

"Need any help?" Brittany asked after taking a sip of her coffee.

"No we're good, turkey's already in the oven and I'm just making the cranberry sauce and Rachel's taking care of the mash potatoes." Quinn said smiling at Brittany.

"Where's Santana?" Brittany asked casually, her eyes glued to the cup in her hands.

"She's on time out." Rachel answered.

Quinn laughed at what Rachel said before turning to Brittany, "She's probably on the deck, you might want to bring her a cup of coffee she looks like she only had an hour of sleep last night." said Quinn. Brittany did what she was told and she was lucky she remembered how Santana prepared her coffee. She was climbed the stairs to the 3rd floor with 2 mugs in hand and she saw Santana in one of the lounge chair reading. She opened the sliding door with her foot carefully and before she could say announce her presence Santana spoke not looking up from her book.

"For the last time Quinn, I'm sorry for attempting to sneak in a sausage in the Tofurky. I was only trying to make it more palatable" Santana said.

"What the hell is a Tofurky?" Brittany asked with a grin on her face.

"Oh hey, I thought you were Quinn." Santana said smiling at Brittany.

Brittany handed her the mug and Santana offered a thank you.

"You didn't answer my question." Brittany said after sitting next to Santana with her mug in hand.

"I think it's tofu with stuffing inside." Santana answered giggling when she saw Brittany scrunch up her nose.

"Well I hope Quinn doesn't mess up the real turkey and force us to eat that or I might have to sneak in that sausage myself in the stuffing." Brittany said which earned a laugh from Santana and eventually she couldn't help but join in.

After the laughter died down a comfortable silence settled between them and Santana went back to her book.

"So what are you reading?" Brittany asked nudging Santana in the shoulders.

Santana closed the book and showed the title to Brittany, it read "100 Love Sonnets: Cien Sonetos de amor by Pablo Neruda".

She looked at Santana and said "So Van Gogh and Pablo Neruda, don't you think you should have a career in the arts instead of the computer thing?" Brittany asked teasing Santana.

"My career pays better than the arts." Santana retorted which made Brittany stick out her tongue at the girl. Santana laughed again and her dimples now more prominent.

"I think we were all conceived because of this book." Santana said

"My dad used this to woo my mom or something." she added.

Brittany reached for the book and rifled through the pages. The poems were in Spanish but beside every poem was a translation in English.

"So what's your favorite?" Brittany asked handing Santana back the book.

"Here let me show you." Santana answered flipping through the pages until she found the one she was looking for.

Santana was handing the book back to Brittany to show her the poem but Brittany just shook her head and said "It's a poem you should recite it." and when she saw Santana was about to protest added "Read it in Spanish, I'll read the translation."

Santana just sighed in resignation and started to read with a disclaimer that her Spanish sucks.

_No te amo como si fueras rosa de sal, topacio_

_o flecha de claveles que propagan el fuego:_

_te amo como se aman ciertas cosas oscuras,_

_secretamente, entre la sombra y el alma._

_Te amo como la planta que no florece y_

_lleva dentro de si, escondida, la luz de aquellas flores,_

_y gracias a tu amor vive oscuro en mi cuerpo_

_el apretado aroma que ascendis de la tierra._

_Te amo sin saber como, ni cuando, ni de donde,_

_te amo directamente sin problemas ni orgullo:_

_asi te amo porque no si amar de otra manera,_

_sino asi de este modo en que no soy ni eres,_

_tan cerca que tu mano sobre mi pecho es mia,_

_tan cerca que se cierran tus ojos con mi sueno. _

Brittany was mesmerized by Santana softly reciting the lines and when she finished reading Brittany had this huge grin in her face. "Your turn." Santana said handing Brittany the book her cheeks slightly flushed.

"You're right about one thing." Brittany said and when Santana looked at her quizzically she added "Your Spanish sucks." and Santana laughed again and playful slapped her arm.

"Less trash talk more reciting Pierce." Santana said playfully pointing at the book in Brittany's hand. Brittany took a deep breath and started reading.

_I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz,  
>or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.<br>I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,  
>in secret, between the shadow and the soul.<em>

I love you as the plant that never blooms  
>but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;<br>thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,  
>risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.<p>

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.  
>I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;<br>so I love you because I know no other way

that this: where I does not exist, nor you,  
>so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,<br>so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.

"That's beautiful." Brittany said quietly letting the words wash over her.

"Yeah it's beautiful." Santana answered looking at Brittany. They both heard the sliding door open and Quinn and Rachel joined them in the deck bringing a pitcher of iced tea.

They passed the glasses around and Rachel announced that Santana was forgiven for almost making her eat meat which earned her a glare from Santana. Before anyone can drink their iced tea Quinn called for a toast.

"To our first adult Thanksgiving together without drama and family dysfunction." Quinn announced grinning.

"Hear hear." said everyone else.

Santana couldn't agree more, she may not have heavy family drama like Quinn but right now at that moment she couldn't help but think that this was her second family and for that she was thankful.


	11. Chapter 11

_I'm sorry for the delayed update but work has been kicking my butt lately and the 3 dinner invites I got this week didn't help. I'll try and have the next chapter up as soon as possible. Once again thanks to everyone reading my story! You guys are the best. All the alerts, faves and especially the reviews are making me very very very happy. __All reviews are appreciated, apologies for any spelling, grammar and any other mistakes you might find._

_I don't own anything._

**littlebrown, sthlmynnej, ****BrittanaIsLove, Blueskkies, darkwaters21, there., daffdaffy88, BlueBaubles, veras333, Mystica375, nayariveraisallthat** - thank you for reading hope you like this update!

**Momo30** - glad you liked that part!

**gotlovetokill, wkgreen** - Rachel wouldn't be Rachel if she didn't ruin a few moments =D

**Verena R** - Aww you don't have to say sorry! Thank you for reviewing my story time and time again

**meatisadelicacy** - please don't go crazy!

**The Swede** - haha I had to research the Tofurkey, glad you liked it!

**dondi** - hopefully you'll like their interaction in this chapter

**pahke** - wow I didn't really see that one, just a little trivia, the story of Allison and Santana kinda happened to me =(

**aliesmyles, jiggitjaclyn, wesley** - thanks for liking the poem, I was a little apprehensive on how people will react on that part and I want it to be as natural as possible

**Gtown85** - I'm flattered you decided to review my story, to answer your question I actually have a sort of layout of each chapter up to the end, but since you mentioned it I'm tempted to maybe think about a sequel to this. Also exploding with confetti and unicorns will be so COOL!

**DarknessRules558** - I would have snuck it in too =P

**bydneley** - it's my favorite too along with A Song of Despair, Sonnet LXVI and the Saddest Poem

**kurly123** - I think the Santana/Rachel dynamic is very funny =)

**soulsaidin** - I'm sorry! hope you like this update! I'll try to update sooner

**Jac Lag** - Thank you! I'm glad you liked the background story and don't worry Santana will and always be a badass =)

Chapter 11

By late afternoon, Quinn was carving the turkey while the others started piling food on their plates. Everyone was in good spirits and the amount of wine they were consuming since brunch probably helped. Santana's mood was considerably lighter based on Brittany's observation and she didn't see any sign of awkwardness after Brittany almost kissed her last night. Maybe Brittany was just over thinking what happened and she was actually glad Rachel interrupted them since she didn't think that kissing Santana while she was vulnerable was a good idea. With everyone seated and with their own slice of turkey except for Rachel who was having the Tofurkey, Quinn cleared her throat to get the attention of the three girls.

"So I want to thank everyone for being here and spending Thanksgiving together. You know that you people are the closest thing I have to a family and since it's Thanksgiving I'm grateful for that." Quinn said smiling broadly at everyone.

Taking Quinn's queue, it was Rachel's turn to express her gratitude, "Gosh there's so much good thing that happened to me this year. I feel like all my hard work are starting to pay off, I am finally gaining foothold in my career. I have great friends, yes even you Santana." Rachel said looking pointedly at Santana which earned her an eyeroll from the girl and a giggle from Brittany.

"But I guess, I am most thankful for having Quinn in my life and I couldn't ask for a better person to love." Rachel said reaching for Quinn's hand and giving it a kiss to which Quinn responded by giving her girlfriend a huge smile.

"Okay my turn." Brittany said enthusiastically

"So I was ready to write this year off as one of the crappiest of my life but I guess life surprises you sometimes and I'm ready to believe that this will turn out as one of the best instead. I'm thankful that I have the three of you in my life and for the first time in 3 years I'm celebrating Thanksgiving again with _family_." Brittany said giving each one of them a huge smile.

"Your turn." Brittany nudged Santana who was seated beside her.

"For the record my family is not this mushy on Thanksgiving we just sort of dove right in and we always had paella." Santana said glaring at Quinn. Brittany pouted at Santana and she was a goner. "Fine, I'm thankful Quinn here didn't mess up the turkey because I would have been forced to eat the Tofurkey." Her mini rant resulted in another pout from Brittany and Santana begrudgingly added, "I'm also thankful that I'm spending Thanksgiving with people I care for instead of being alone in Manhattan."

"Well, no Thanksgiving is complete without a forced declaration of gratitude from Santana Lopez and we all have to thank Britt and her amazing persuasion skills." Quinn said sarcastically trying hard to stifle her laughter winking at Santana who just glared at her friend. Rachel proposed another toast and soon the table was filled with laughter and stories about their Thanksgiving horror stories.

Rachel was able to persuade Brittany to try out the Tofurkey and was pleasantly surprised when she liked it. "Come on Santana, try it, just a little bite. It's good I promise." Brittany said to Santana who has refused to taste the damn thing.

"I'm not letting that thing touch my lips Britt."

"Please just one bite, you can totally spit it out if you hate it." Brittany pleaded with Santana. Quinn and Rachel was trying hard not to laugh at Santana whose resolve was crumbling by the second. Quinn reached out to Rachel and whispered in her girlfriends ear "10 bucks says that Santana will eat the Tofurkey once Brittany pouts." Rachel just giggled at her girlfriend and turned her attention back to Santana who was now looking disdainfully at the piece of fake meat being held up by Brittany to her face.

"Please?" Brittany asked again and Santana made the mistake of looking at Brittany just as a pout formed in the blonde's lips. The next words coming from Santana's mouth was a weak "Fine."

Quinn almost choked on her wine and looked at her girlfriend and mouthed "show me the money". Brittany gave Santana a huge smile and held up her fork with the Tofurkey to Santana's lips. By then Santana was blushing furiously and figured that the only way out of the situation was to get over it as quickly as possible. She opened her mouth and Brittany shoved the food inside her mouth, Brittany even wiped her mouth with the table napkin for good measure and Santana was sure her face was flaming. Quinn gave her a smug smile and went back to eating her food.

"So?" Brittany asked Santana. The truth was the Tofurkey was delicious but she didn't want Berry to know that so Santana simply said, "It tastes fine Britt." giving Brittany a smile but when Santana saw that Rachel was about to say something hastily added "Still would have tasted better if there was say bits of hungarian sausage in the stuffing but whatever." to which Rachel just rolled her eyes but with a slight smile on her lips.

After the meal all 4 girls were fat and happy in the deck enjoying the beautiful sunset. They were in their 4th bottle of wine and they were all slightly buzzed. As usual Quinn and Rachel were all cuddled up on the lounge chair, kissing and whispering sweet nothings to each other. Brittany smiled at the sight and went back to watching the sunset with Santana beside her.

"I forgot how beautiful it is out here." Santana said with a faraway look on her face.

"I wouldn't mind staying here for weeks but I'd miss the crazy noise of the city for sure." Brittany replied

"I'm sure my mom would give you the keys she loves you already." Santana said smiling at Brittany

"Remind me to give her a message on Facebook." Brittany said teasingly.

"Shit." They heard Quinn say and both girls turned their attention to a pissed off Quinn.

"I need to drive back to the city tomorrow, they're sending me to Arizona on Saturday." Quinn said looking apologetically at the three girls.

Rachel looked a little disappointed but she gave Quinn a smile and said, "Honey it's fine I'll go back to the city with you."

Santana and Brittany was also disappointed at the sudden change of plans but knew that they'd drive back to the city with Quinn. The two girls looked at each other and as if they'd read each other minds and they nodded at each other.

"We'll all go back, I was planning to squeeze in some work anyway." Santana said

"It's ok Quinn, I also need to study the routine for Chicago." Brittany said giving Quinn a smile.

After finishing the wine all of them decided to turn in for the night to give them plenty of time for the drive back the next day.

Brittany saw a message from Rachel while she was taking a breather from rehearsal asking Brittany to call her as soon as she has time. Brittany quickly dialed Rachel's number and after a few rings she answered.

"Hi Rachel what's up?" Brittany said

"Britt I'm so glad you called, I have a favor to ask you." Rachel answered.

"So Quinn called me earlier from Phoenix and said that Santana was sick, she wanted me to go and check on her since she hasn't been answering her phone since morning but my rehearsal is running late and Quinn will be mad if Santana died on my watch." Rachel said sounding a little overdramatic.

"Ok slow down, I'll drop by the apartment but I need the keys in case Santana doesn't answer the door." Brittany said and Rachel agreed to meet Brittany at the theater where Rachel was having her practice to get the keys.

It was a good thing that Brittany only had an hour left of their rehearsal for Chicago since she was distracted by the thought of a sick Santana. The four of them were really busy after Thanksgiving. Quinn had to fly to Arizona for work, Rachel is starting her workshop for Mamma Mia, Brittany on top of her work in the studio has also started the rehearsals for Chicago and Santana was busy as always.

She decided to pick up food and medicine on her way over to Santana. She hoped that Santana wasn't too ill that might warrant a visit to the emergency room. She arrived at the apartment but after several knocks she wasn't able to get a response, she fished out the key from her pocket and hoped that the security chain wasn't in place.

After a few tries she managed to open the door with her gym bag and groceries in hand. It was only late afternoon but it was already dark out signaling that winter was just around the corner and inside the apartment every light was turned off which only added to the somber mood of her surroundings. Brittany carefully placed her bag in the ground and fumbled for the light switch and once she found it flipped it on. The room was flooded with light and Brittany immediately noticed the strewn tissues all over the coffee table but no Santana. She went to the kitchen to unload the groceries she bought and headed to Santana's bedroom lightly knocking on the door.

"Santana are you there?" Brittany called out. When she didn't get a response after 30 seconds of knocking she carefully opened the door and was greeted by the sight of a sleeping Santana under the covers with tissue littering all her bed and night table. She tried to be as silent as possible while approaching the bed so as to not wake up the girl. Santana was curled up in bed as if the warmth of the blanket was not enough. Brittany reached out her hand to lightly touch Santana's forehead and grimaced at the heat radiating from Santana's skin.

_Shit_, Brittany thought to herself. She slowly made her way outside the room to go the bathroom where she rummaged for a piece of cloth and a thermometer. Thankfully she found both and headed to the kitchen to get some cold water and a small basin. She knew she needed to get Santana's temperature down fast so she can be strong enough to take a trip to the hospital.

Brittany nudged the door open with her shoulder and carefully placed the basin in the nightstand. She sat down next to Santana and dipped the cloth in the basin and removed the excess water before carefully placing it in Santana's forehead. Santana shifted her body as if burned from the contact. Her sudden movement revealed that she was clutching the stuffed duck that Brittany gave her which caused the other girl to smile. After a few minutes Brittany took the cloth from Santana's forehead and repeated the process. She gently shook Santana awake since she needs to get her temperature.

"Hey San, I just need to take your temperature then you can go back to sleep." Brittany said softly.

Santana's eyes fluttered open and swore that she probably died because an angel who looked a lot like Brittany was beside her. Santana felt the dull throb of her head as soon as light entered her eyes and she groaned and turned on her side to shield the light. She then felt warm hands caressing her back tenderly. The angel who looked like Brittany spoke again this time the words much clearer in Santana's head.

"Come on it will only take a minute San." Brittany said tenderly her hand still caressing Santana's back.

By this time Santana's brain was starting to function despite the haze and she was able to understand what Brittany was saying. With her eyes still close she turned towards Brittany and opened her mouth. Brittany gently slipped the thermometer under her tongue and while waiting for the device to beep she took the cloth in Santana's forehead that already warm by then and dipped it in the cold water. Santana sighed when she felt the wet fabric in her head, she heard a beep and she let Brittany take the thermometer from her mouth.

"101, it's not as bad as I thought." Santana heard Brittany murmur to herself. She felt Brittany shuffle something beside her and Santana heard the door to her room open and closed gently.

Brittany went straight to the kitchen and threw out the water from the basin, knowing that Santana was back in dreamland she decided to start heating the soup for Santana since she needs to have something in her stomach before she takes her medicines. Brittany on the other hand started to munch on the sandwich she bought for dinner and sent Rachel a quick text telling her that everything is under control. After a few minutes she felt her phone vibrate and saw Quinn's name.

"Hello Quinn, everything's under control." Brittany said not bothering with small talk.

"Good I was worried." Quinn said

"Why did Santana get sick anyway?" Brittany asked since the last time she saw her she was in the pink of health.

"Because she decided that it was a good idea not to sleep for 2 days straight because she was working and she probably consumed a pack of cigarettes for good measure." Quinn said clearly annoyed and concerned at the same time by what happened.

Brittany sighed and knew that Santana was stubborn enough to do just that. "Quinn I have to go and feed her so she can have her meds. Do you have any reminders, allergies to medicines I should know about?" Brittany asked in case Santana has any aversion to drugs.

"Not that I know of but Santana well she gets a little touchy and basically acts like a grumpy infant when she's sick, so good luck." Quinn said and the line was cut off before Brittany can say anything.

Brittany was a bit confused on what Quinn was trying to say but she just let it slide since she has a patient waiting for her. With a bowl of soup, water and medicine in hand Brittany slowly opened the door to Santana's bedroom and as expected Santana was fast asleep. Putting the tray carefully in the nightstand she gently shook Santana.

"San, you need to eat something so you can have your medicine." Brittany said gently. Santana just grunted and rolled over to her side.

Brittany tried another approach this time stroking Santana's hair and shaking the girl a little more firmly this time. She then bowed her head until her lips are near Santana's ear where she softly whispered "Come on San, just a few bites I promise."

With an exaggerated sigh and a scowl Santana opened her eyes and tried to sit up the bed. She was met by Brittany's eyes that is full of tenderness and reached out to arrange the pillows around Santana so she can sit better.

"Hi." Brittany said to Santana tucking a piece of hair in the girl's ear to get a better look at her face.

"Hello." Santana managed to croak out before giving Brittany a miserable smile.

_Vulnerable Santana is too cute,_ Brittany thought to herself. Brittany took the soup from the tray beside the bed and got a spoonful. She blew on the hot liquid before bringing it up to Santana's lips who obediently opened them.

Santana winced at the contact of the hot liquid in her parched mouth. She allowed Brittany to feed her until she finished the whole bowl surprised at how hungry she was despite her current inability to taste anything. Brittany then gave her a glass of water followed by a myriad of pills. Santana made a face when she tasted the bitter pills in her mouth and quickly washed it down with water.

Satisfied Brittany gave Santana a little kiss on the forehead that surprised the both of them but Santana was too tired to react and instead just slid her body back to bed to wait for the medicines to take effect.

Brittany decided to clean up the apartment a bit and let Santana rest, she will need to take her temperature again in an hour or so. She didn't know what came over her when she kissed Santana but she just looked so cute when she made that face. But she had other things to worry about now and given the situation Brittany debated whether or not to spend the night, it was a good thing she always had extra clothes in her bag. She started cleaning up the apartment when she saw Santana's phone lying on the coffee table vibrating. She saw Maria Lopez's face on the screen, after a brief inner struggle she answered the call.

"Hi Maria, this is Brittany." Brittany said

"Oh hi Brittany, I've been calling Santana since yesterday is she there?" Maria said a bit surprised when her daughter's girlfriend answered the phone.

"Yes but I'm afraid she's been sick for the past 2 days that's why she hasn't been answering your calls. She has a fever and I think she has a sore throat. I've already given her some over the counter medicine for her fever but I'll take her to the doctor as soon as her fever goes down. " Brittany said

"Has she been smoking again?" Maria said her voice terse.

"Uhhh." Brittany said unsure how to answer the question.

Brittany could hear Maria sigh on the other line, "Honey it's ok, it's not your fault my daughter is stubborn as hell. Thank you so much for taking care of her." Maria said with a grateful tone.

"It's my pleasure Maria. I can wake her up if you want?" Brittany asked the woman on the other line.

"Wait dear, my husband wants to talk to you." Maria said and before Brittany can react she heard a firm but gentle voice on the phone.

"Hi Brittany, I'm sorry I couldn't meet you in a much more formal setting. I'm Miguel Santana's father." The voice on the line said apologetically.

"Nice to meet you Mr. Lopez and it's ok I know you are worried about Santana." Brittany replied who was a little nervous from the sudden turn out of events.

"Please call me Miguel Brittany, so what's her current temperature?" Miguel asked sounding more like a doctor now.

"101, about an hour ago, she ate a bowl of soup and I gave her some paracetamol for her fever and headache but I think she has also has a sore throat. I also put a cold washcloth over her head to bring her temperature down. " Brittany said hoping that she didn't do anything wrong, the man was a doctor after all.

"That's good Brittany, now if she's well enough she needs to go to the hospital so the doctor can prescribe her antibiotics for her throat." Miguel said clearly pleased with how Brittany was caring for her daughter.

"I'll take her to the hospital myself Miguel." Brittany said

"Thank you Brittany for taking care of her. So you think she's well enough to talk to me?" Miguel asked Brittany.

"Give me a few minutes I'll wake her up." Brittany replied.

She then carefully opened Santana's bedroom door and went inside. This time Santana immediately opened her eyes when Brittany said that her father was on the phone.

Brittany was about to leave the room when she heard a choked sob from Santana who whined "Daddy I'm sick, my head hurts a lot." Brittany had to bite her lips to keep from laughing when she finally realized what Quinn was talking about regarding a sick Santana.

After getting another basin of cold water, she gently opened the door and saw a still sobbing Santana who was now talking to her mother.

"I only smoked because I was stressed out Mommy and I was in the office for two straight days and slept for 6 hours! I promise I'm not going to smoke again! I swear!" Santana whined on the phone.

After a few more minutes a much calmer Santana said "I love you too Mommy and tell Daddy I miss him and Mikaela too."

Santana wiped the remaining streaks of tears in her eyes and burrowed under the covers. Brittany placed the basin in the nightstand and flipped back the covers to uncover a silently sobbing Santana.

"Hey San, you're going to be ok, you just need to rest ok?" Brittany cooed to Santana stroking her back. Santana rolled over to Brittany and put her arms around her waist, buried her head on Brittany's stomach and Brittany could feel Santana nod her head. The feel of Santana's body so close to her was sending shivers to Brittany and she had to breathe deeply a couple of times to calm her racing heartbeat.

"I need to take your temperature ok?" Brittany asked and she could feel Santana nod her assent. She stroked Santana's hair and helped her sit up. She opened her mouth waiting for Brittany to put in the thermometer which the other girl gladly did. Using the washcloth Brittany gently wiped Santana's tear streaked cheeks and was pleased when she felt that Santana's temperature has dropped. This was confirmed with the thermometer that now reads 100.5.

"San do you think you can handle changing your clothes? Your shirt is soaked with sweat and it will make you feel better." Brittany said.

"Ok." Santana croaked out. Brittany rummaged through the closet and found pair of pajamas for Santana. She then went out of the room to give the girl privacy while she changes and figured she might as well change her shirt and brush her teeth since she will be staying the night.

After changing out of her dance clothes and brushing her teeth with the spare toothbrush she used in her last visit, she went and stood by the door of Santana's bedroom and softly knocked.

"San? Can I come in?" Brittany said and she heard a soft yes from Santana. She opened the door and saw Santana sitting up on bed with fresh clothes on giving her a weak smile, the stuffed duck she gave her now in the nightstand beside Santana.

"Feel better?" Brittany asked. Santana just nodded and leaned on the headboard.

"Here, you need lots of liquid." Brittany said handing Santana the glass of water she brought with her.

"Do you mind if I sleep here?" Brittany asked Santana.

"I'd like that and thanks Britt." Santana said her voice cracking as if she's trying to hold back another round of tears from falling from her eyes.

"Hey shhh… come on you'll be fine in no time." Brittany said soothing an emotional Santana. She helped Santana lie down the bed and dipped the wash cloth again in the water and put it in Santana's forehead who sighed and closed her eyes.

Brittany laid down next to Santana once the girl was all settled on her side of the bed and turned off the light and closed her eyes but after a few minutes she felt Santana snuggle to her side and when the surprise wore off she couldn't help but smile and snuggle back to Santana who by now was feeling the effects of the drugs she consumed earlier.

Brittany was also nodding off to sleep when she heard the voice of Santana who is clearly trying hard to stay coherent.

"Thanks Britt I owe you and good night." Brittany heard Santana say. She turned her head to say goodnight when Santana's lips suddenly made contact with her own lips. She must have been aiming for Brittany's cheek bit since she turned her head it landed on Brittany's lips. All of Brittany's senses seems to come to life from the contact and she wanted nothing more than to move her lips to give Santana a proper kiss but Santana seems to be unaware of what transpired since she snuggled back to Brittany and started snoring softly after a few minutes.

Brittany let out a frustrated sigh and shook her head a few times to remove the tingling sensation from the kiss. She looked at the girl clinging to her and brushed some of the hair away from her face. Santana looked so peaceful and beautiful that Brittany felt this overwhelming need to hold her and not let go that is causing an almost physical ache in her body. Brittany sighed again and thought that she needs to confront her not so friendly feelings for Santana soon but for now she'll just enjoy the feeling of having her arms around Santana while the world around them turns.


	12. Chapter 12

_Thanks to everyone still reading my story! All the reviews, alerts and faces are making my heart swell! You guys rock! All reviews are appreciated, apologies for any spelling, grammar and any other mistakes you might find._

_I don't own anything._

**BrittanaFTW, Zorayah, LunarMiko07, Honeyfigsanddarkchocolate, there., darkwaters2, Blueskkies, The Swede, DeadFlash27, veras33, Mystica375** - Thanks for reading and reviewing! It means a lot to me when I see you guys take the extra effort to put in a review. I hope you enjoy this update!

**Heyaaddict** - Thank you! I think you'll find this update interesting =)

**pahke** - Thanks! I'll make sure to put in some kind of divider to signify the time jump

**geumanhaeyo** - read on!

**Verena R** - Thank you for always reading and reviewing!

**soulsaidin** - Brittany really is sweet isn't she? Even in the show I want to freaking hug her.

**ggbonz** - I hope this is soon enough for you =)

**Jac Lag** - hahaha your review cracked me up! Who wouldn't want to smother Santana with hugs and kisses? and yeah Brittany is definitely falling for San =)

**RansMuse** - I think Santana would be an awesome snuggle buddy hehe =)

**gotlovetokill** - I think you'll find this chapter interesting =)

And a special shout to **uh-huhBoylOver12! **I was supposed to put in a review on your story but it said that I can't review the same chapter twice. I'm glad you decided to continue writing! I can't wait for the next update of your story.

Chapter 12

Santana woke up when the early morning sunlight found it's way to her eyes. Sighing, she snuggled closer to the warm pillow but was startled when the pillow moved and pressed closely to her. Her eyes flew open and was greeted by a mess of blonde hair. The events of last night flooded back and she was mortified at how she acted. She knew she turned into a freaking baby when she was sick which is why she holes up in her room most of the time. She usually has Quinn to whine to but since she was in Arizona she must've sent Brittany to care for Santana. Well it was better than sending Berry, the last time that happened the dwarf actually tried to sing to her saying that music heals and she locked herself in the bathroom and went to sleep on the tub just as Rachel was belting out People by Barbra Streisand.

She felt Brittany shift on the bed, half her body now draped over Santana, her head finding the space between Santana's neck and shoulders. She could now feel every breath that Brittany takes and her nostrils are flooded with the scent of strawberries probably from Brittany's shampoo. _Yep, this was infinitely better, _ Santana thought to herself as she buried her head in Brittany's hair and found her way back to oblivion.

Consciousness found it's way back to Santana when she felt the New York chill make its way to her bedroom. When she opened her eyes, she found out that she was alone in bed. She instantly missed the warmth of Brittany's body. She stood up and was glad that her fever was gone although her throat still felt raw. She remembered her Mom lecturing her on the dangers of smoking and even told her that she would be sending her a scanned copy of a brochure by the American Cancer Society about smoking and cancer, that would teach her to lay off on smoking she thought to herself.

She wondered if Brittany already left and knew that she would be extremely disappointed if she did. Her stomach grumbled and realized that she only had soup the day before. She opened her bedroom door and was surprised by the smell of eggs cooking in the kitchen. She couldn't help but grin knowing that Brittany stayed.

"Britt?" she called out while walking towards the kitchen. Brittany didn't respond and Santana saw the reason why. Brittany was in front of the stove with earphones in her ears swaying her hips to whatever it is playing on her iPod. Santana smiled at the sight and debated whether or not to interrupt the small show. She decided that the sight of Brittany shaking her toned ass was too good a sight to stop and sat on the kitchen counter instead with a goofy grin on her face.

Brittany was surprised when she turned around to put the scrambled eggs on a plate and was met by a grinning Santana, she almost dropped the pan in the process.

"San! You scared me!" Brittany said placing the pan on the counter and removing her earphones.

"Good morning. I may have to take you up on those dance lessons." Santana managed to croak out, her voice still hoarse but didn't prevent her from giving Brittany a wink.

Brittany blushed but her hands immediately went to Santana's forehead to check for her temperature.

"Good, your fever's gone, we can go to the doctor after breakfast." Brittany said matter-of-factly

"Why do I have to go? I'm feeling fine now." Santana said a scowl overtaking her earlier grin

"Because you need antibiotics for that sore throat and I promised your Dad. And you know it's your fault San you smoked God knows how many packs and Quinn said you worked for 2 straight days." Brittany said scolding Santana.

"Shit was going down Britt and I couldn't just leave my team and I only smoked a pack because I was super stressed out." Santana said defensively.

"Fine but we're still going to the doctor." Brittany said in a tone that says that it's non negotiable.

"Hey how come you didn't get sick?" Santana said as an afterthought

"I have an awesome immune system, I don't smoke and I always get my flu shots." Brittany answered sticking her tongue out to Santana who just rolled her eyes.

"Just eat your breakfast." Brittany added while scooping scrambled eggs and handing Santana a bowl of oatmeal. Santana just sighed and started eating knowing she will not win this argument.

It was Wednesday, 4 days after she took care of an ailing Santana when Brittany was greeted with a small package for her in the studio. Curious, she opened the box and couldn't help but grin when she saw the content. It was a little stuffed panda bear in a doctor's outfit, complete with stethoscope draped in the neck. It was too cute for words and the panda has a white envelope stuck in its arms with Brittany written outside in Santana's handwriting. Inside was a note saying:

_Brittany,_

_This is my I.O.U. Thanks for taking care of me even if I'm the worst patient ever. Wear something nice._

_Santana_

Along with the note were two tickets for cocktails and performance for the Fall Gala of the New York City Ballet. The tickets were for this coming Saturday and Brittany mentally thanked the lead choreographer for Chicago for giving them the day off since the opening night was on Monday. She carefully placed the panda and the tickets inside the box and sent out a text to Santana:

_Brittany:_

_I would love to go with you. See you Saturday big baby =)._

She then went back to her class with a huge grin on her face.

The following day Brittany made plans with Quinn to find a dress she can wear to the gala. The meeting has a dual purpose, one is to find a dress and the second is to get Quinn's opinion on her feelings for Santana. When the excitement wore off after receiving the invitation from Santana, she was overwhelmed with anxiety on whether or not this would count as a date.

They scoured the shops for 2 hours until they found the perfect dress, an off shoulder floor length beige gown with delicate beading and hugs Brittany's figure in all the right places.

They decided to head to Sal's Little Italy for lunch and ordered Linguine & Pasta with shrimps and a large pizza with extra pepperoni. Quinn saved Brittany the trouble of bringing up the event that is causing Brittany anxiety.

"So is this date an "official date" or are you just fake dating again?" Quinn asked Brittany who avoided her eyes.

Brittany sighed and answered in a small voice "Honestly, I'm not sure what to think."

Quinn gave Brittany a knowing smile and decided to take another approach.

"Do you want to go on an official date with Santana?" Quinn asked seriously her voice without any hint of teasing.

Brittany looked at Quinn straight in the eye and said "I think so, I mean yes I want to go on a date with her for real this time but I don't know what she feels about me."

It was now Quinn's turn to sigh before stating, "Santana's not exactly forthcoming with her feelings, we should get her sick again so we can interrogate her while she's vulnerable."

Brittany giggled at what Quinn said and remembered how emotional a sick Santana is.

"But I'll tell you this, you're doing a good job peeling back those layers Britt. After Allison, Santana must have eliminated half of her friends saying since she only needs those that she trusts fully." Quinn added

"Wow Allison really did a number on Santana." Brittany said. Before Quinn can answer their food arrived and both girls helped themselves to the food.

After a few bites, Quinn continued talking, "So what did she tell you about Allison?"

"She told me how she fell in love with her and how she accused Santana of turning her gay." Brittany said wincing at the words.

"Did she tell you about the time she flew to New York because Allison called her up in LA and told her that she made a huge mistake and that she wants to be with Santana?" Quinn asked.

Brittany just shook her head and put the pizza that she was eating down to give Quinn her full attention.

"So about 2 years ago, Santana was actually doing fine, she got this job in LA and she was starting to rebuild her life after the bitch left her high and dry. But I guess one day Allison managed to contact her and told her she wants to get back together. Santana took the red eye flight that day to go here, I know because Santana asked me if they can both stay at the apartment before flying back to LA. The plan was that they'd meet at Bryant Park since that's where they had their first date and they'd fly back to LA the following day. They were supposed to meet at 3 in the afternoon and Santana came back at around 5 am in the morning without Allison. Even after waiting for more than 14 hours she was still hoping that she'd show up. But before she had the chance to go back and wait for Allison again, a package arrived containing all the letters and gifts that Santana gave Allison. That bitch didn't even had the decency to write her a note. I wanted to hunt down Allison and torture her for what she did but before I can plot her demise Santana left New York."

Brittany was speechless after hearing what transpired between Santana and Allison. No wonder Santana has walls that rivals the Great Wall of China.

"So what made her come back?" Brittany asked after finding her voice again.

Quinn smiled at Brittany's question, "Well Santana is a born New Yorker, she loves it here and when we were in college she would talk endlessly about how she belonged her despite growing up in LA."

Brittany smiled back and remembered how Santana described New York as her safe haven.

"Ever since she started hanging out with you I feel like the Santana I knew in college is slowly coming to the surface. I mean Santana is Santana, she's always been sarcastic and a little bitchy but she's not this guarded as if everyone's out to screw her over." Quinn said looking Brittany in the eye.

"I'm not saying that you carry the cure for all of her trust issues. God knows there is no quick remedy for that, I guess if ever you decide to take this friendship or fake relationship you have with her to the next level I believe she's worth the extra effort." Quinn added giving Brittany a knowing smile which Brittany returned.

It was Saturday and Santana was officially freaking out. She had already applied and reapplied her make up 3 times. No thanks to the hobbit who pointed out that if it looks like a date, smells like a date then it must be a date, Santana wanted to strangle her right there and then but Quinn will not drive her and Brittany to the gala if she kills the gnome. When she called her mother to ask for tickets to the gala she wasn't thinking about how it would look like to other people, she just wanted to thank Brittany for taking care of her although the whole stuffed panda may have been a bit overboard but at that time it just seems like it was a good idea

"Santana! You're going to be late!" Quinn shouted outside her room.

"Fuck off Quinn!" Santana shouted back. She did however look at the time and knew that Quinn was right. With a last look at the mirror and a deep sigh she stepped outside her room which earned her a whistle from Quinn.

She was wearing a charcoal strapless dress that showed off her assets.

"I must say Santana, you look pretty good and all the effort you have put in this evening only cements the fact that you are treating this outing a a date." Rachel said when she saw Santana.

"Wow I didn't see you there Berry, I thought you went back to the Shire, did you say hello to Merry and Pippin for me?" Santana said sarcastically.

"Santana that's 2 insults in one sentence, one more and you are paying the electricity bill this month." Quinn said with a warning.

"It's only one Quinn since I only implied that she's a hobbit, I didn't say that she was a gnome or an oompa loompa or that the Keebler elves are looking for her since they need an extra hand baking those wonderful cookies." Santana said with a full on smirk.

Quinn just shook her head and kissed her girlfriend before she can react and turn the whole thing into a full on word war between the two.

"I'll be back soon honey." Quinn said to her girlfriend before pulling Santana to the door..

The drive to Brittany's apartment was quiet, it was clear that Santana was nervous about the whole thing and Quinn knew better than to break the silence. It seems that the drive was too short in Santana's opinion, she felt like a fucking teenager going to prom and this wasn't even technically a date. She was debating whether or not to come up to the door but thankfully Quinn saved her from her internal struggle by calling Brittany and telling her that they're both waiting for her in the car. Quinn must be taking her role as chauffeur seriously since she went out of the car to wait for Brittany.

After what feels like an eternity the car door opened and Santana feels like the air went of of her body when she saw how beautiful Brittany was. From her hair falling in soft waves to her shoulder to her light make up that emphasized her blue eyes. She didn't realize she was holding her breath until Brittany gave her a huge smile and that she returned.

"So you guys ready?" Quinn asked from the driver's seat.

"Yeah, step on it Fabray." Santana said finding her voice and saw Quinn give her a wink from the rear view mirror. Santana tried to avoid looking at Brittany to try and regulate the pace of her heartbeat but her plans was thrown out the window when she felt Brittany squeeze her fingers.

"San are you ok?" Brittany asked concerned that Santana hasn't spoken a word since the ride started.

Swallowing the lump in her throat Santana dared to look at Brittany and said "I'm fine, you look beautiful Britt." Santana couldn't help but add. Brittany beamed at Santana's and said "You're not bad yourself." Brittany's hands never left Santana for the whole ride.

They arrived for the cocktails and Santana immediately snatched 2 glasses of champagne hoping that the alcohol would calm her nerves. After a few sips of champagne Brittany broke the ice.

"So how did you score tickets? I know this is like a big deal and tickets are hard to come by." Brittany asked curiously.

Santana smiled at Brittany and said teasingly, 'Don't worry I didn't make someone cry to get tickets, Mom actually called in a favor, she knows someone from the committee when they went on tour in LA and Mom helped out with the fundraiser."

"Glad to hear that. So tell me are all events like this uptight?" Brittany said grinning back at Santana.

"Well we can always go to Central Park and watch our friendly neighborhood streets performers and hope that they're not part of some pickpocket mafia." Santana answered now thoroughly relaxed at the banter between her and Brittany.

Brittany laughed a little too loud and some people turned their heads to their direction with a look of disapproval in their faces. It was Santana's turn to laugh when Brittany turned a deep shade of red from the unwanted attention.

Santana pulled her towards the hors d'oeuvres table and said "Come on let's eat all their ridiculous appetizers."

After 4 glasses of champagne each and sampling each of the hors d'oeuvres which made the two girls giggle especially after eating some not so tasty ones it was time for the performance. Brittany suddenly looked nervous and excited at the same time, Santana offered a smile and held out her hands which the blonde promptly took.

As soon as the show started Brittany's transformed. It was like everything about her glowed. Santana spent half of the performance looking at Brittany mesmerized by the way her eyes lit up at the performance. Whatever doubts she had bringing Brittany here flew out the window. She'd buy the ridiculously expensive season tickets for her if it means she gets to see Brittany this happy. _Okay whoa slow down Lopez, _ Santana thought reigning in all the giddy feelings coursing through her body just by watching Brittany.

When the show ended they joined everyone else in the standing ovation. Brittany was smiling and clapping her hands furiously and then she leaned over to Santana and whispered "Thank you so much San. It's beyond wonderful." Leaving Santana with a grin on her face.

They made their way through the crowds but someone from Santana's office recognized her and stopped her to congratulate her for the successful implementation of her project. Santana even introduced Brittany as her girlfriend that made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside before excusing herself to make a beeline to get their coats.

Santana ended up talking to John for 20 minutes and was glad when his wife whisked him away to meet an old classmate or something. She made her way to the area where everyone was getting their coats, she immediately spotted Brittany and smiled. As she made her way to blonde she saw that Brittany was talking to someone and she looked upset. With narrowed eyes Santana moved closer to the blonde and was surprised when she saw that Brittany was talking to, the she devil herself, Jackie.

She could hear Brittany's upset voice over the crowd.

"We're done Jackie, I'm not going to subject myself to your games again." Brittany said trying hard to make her voice neutral.

"You know you're just saying that Brittany, I know you, you will be crawling back to me in no time. I know you're just doing this to get my attention." Jackie said her voice smug.

White hot jealousy and anger coursed through Santana's vein as she inched closer to the pair and Brittany was startled when Santana pulled her towards her and gave her a searing kiss. Brittany didn't know how to react at first but when her brain finally registered Santana's soft lips moving against her own, her hands found their way to Santana's back and pressed closer to deepen the kiss even nipping Santana's lower lip. Santana was the first one to break free from the kiss and managed to muddle through the haze of her kiss with Brittany and said "Hey baby, ready to go?" giving Brittany a sweet smile. Brittany only managed to nod and smile back, her head still reeling from that mind blowing kiss completely forgetting that Jackie was still standing in front of them.

"I see you're still dating the Hamptons princess, I guess her bank accounts bigger than mine huh?" Jackie said her face an angry red by what she has just witnessed.

Before Brittany can react, Santana closed the distance between her and Jackie and with fire almost shooting out of her eyes said "Listen you little bitch, Brittany's mine now so get over it and when you say bank account you must mean your daddy's bank account since I'm pretty sure they don't pay you to show your face at parties. Last time I checked you're not Paris Hilton or even Lindsay Lohan. And just a reality check, using Daddy's credit card when you're over 20 doesn't mean you're rich it just screams I'm still leeching off my parents. But I have to give you credit, you're right about one thing, I'm pretty sure my fucking bank account is bigger than yours."

With that Santana, grabbed Brittany's hand and headed out of the theater. Santana clearly incensed with what happened almost didn't hear Brittany call her name and she only stopped when Brittany tugged back her hand. Santana let out an angry "What!" at Brittany.

"San, your coat." Brittany said wrapping Santana's coat around her. She then proceeded to rub Santana's arms in the side.

"You're cold and Quinn was right about one thing, you can whip out the bitch inside at the blink of an eye." Brittany murmured. Santana was still pissed but couldn't help but crack a grin at Brittany.

"Yeah well your _friend _just brings it out of me. I think she deserves the nickname Satan more than me." Santana said and Brittany laughed, soon enough Santana joined her and they were giggling like idiots outside.

"Did you see her face? I swear she was about to spontaneously combust after your speech. I mean you've done it to her twice and that's like a record." Brittany said in between laughter.

"I don't care, I'd do it again if she ever pulls something like that again." Santana said her tone suddenly turning serious. Brittany's expression became tender and gave Santana a sweet smile.

"Come on, I see a nearby Gray's Papaya. We can grab a couple of hotdogs, I can still taste that escargot in my mouth." Brittany said making a face at Santana.

Santana just laughed and said "For the record you had that thing in your mouth before I can say anything." Brittany just stuck her tongue out of Santana and linked their arms together while they walked.

"So I know dance is like not your thing but did you enjoy the show?" Brittany asked after swallowing the hotdog sandwich she was chewing.

"Strangely enough I enjoyed it, I have to admit I was sure I was going to get bored but once you get really into it, the music and the dancing overwhelms you." Santana said thoughtfully.

"I know I mean ballet is not really up my alley but most of the modern choreography today is in one way or the other a variation of ballet." Brittany said delighted by the fact that Santana enjoyed the performance.

"Don't tell the dwarf ok? But I sometimes envy her and you with your careers, you have this natural talent and you're both really passionate about it and making a living out of it." Santana said to Brittany.

"You love your career Santana, you didn't go home for 2 days to work, that's also called passion you know." Brittany said nudging Santana in the shoulder.

"I guess but I wish it was cooler you know, who would want to watch a bunch of programmers coding something." Santana said.

"I would if they'd snuck in a few dance steps in between." Brittany said teasingly.

Santana laughed and said "You' are crazy Brittany S. Pierce, but maybe I'll suggest it to the manager to shake things up a little."

"Make sure to suggest my name, if your dancing skills are any indication, you all need some intense dance lessons." Brittany said trying hard to sound serious.

"Hey I resent that! And I just thought of something, someone told me I make a mean love letter so maybe I'll become a writer or poet." Santana said with a smug smile. Brittany just rolled her eyes at Santana.

"Whatever you say Santana Lopez Neruda." Brittany retorted that resulted in another round of laughter between the two.

They decided to share a cab with Santana dropping Brittany off her apartment. Once inside the cab Brittany remembered something and opened her purse.

"Here take this" Brittany said handing Santana something. Santana gave her a quizzical look so Brittany added, "It's for the opening night on Monday, you promised remember?"

"Oh wow, of course I'm going, the other two tickets are for Quinn and Berry right?" Santana asked and Brittany just nodded her head.

Soon enough Brittany was stepping off the cab saying goodnight to Santana. Before Brittany can step in her apartment she heard Santana call her name. She turned around and saw that Santana also got off the cab, she must have told the driver to wait for her.

Brittany walked back to Santana a little confused.

"So uhm, about what happened earlier, I'm sorry I kissed you." Santana said avoiding Brittany's eyes.

Brittany grinned and reached out to lift Santana's head until she was met with brown eyes.

"Why? You were a good kisser." Brittany said a smile plastered in her face.

"So is this like a date?" Santana couldn't help but blurt out thankful that the night was hiding the violent blush creeping to her face.

Brittany's face softened and said softly "We don't have to call it that San, let's think of this kinda like testing the waters, we don't have to over analyze this. Let's just say we'll talk about it later ok?"

She then placed a lingering kiss on Santana's cheek before heading to her apartment. Santana went back inside the cab with a huge smile on her face.


	13. Chapter 13

_Thanks to everyone still reading my story! All the reviews, alerts and faces are making my heart swell! You guys rock! All reviews are appreciated, apologies for any spelling, grammar and any other mistakes you might find._

_I don't own anything._

**Honeyfigsanddarkchocolate, ggbonz, Santitney, cybilsadie, Blueskkies, Lanter, DeadFlash27, there., darkwaters21, g, behindblueyes** – Thanks for reviewing. Your reviews never fail to make my day a little brighter!

**Verena R** – Thank you for your very kind words! I hope you enjoy this chapter

**rawrr93** – yep she is definitely hot

**Teddie The Swede** – yep best fake couple ever =)

**BrittanaFTW **– I won't stop until I finish this story! =)

**versa333, gotlovetokill, Heyaaddict, LunarMiko07** – a jealous and bitchy Santana is always interesting =D

**MattyBelkin** – Thanks for the kind words and I have to agree that's a very weird coincidence and I'm sure your sisters are adorable =)

**JPo06** – thank you for the review and reading my other story, I'm really flattered you reviewed my story.

**geumahaeyo** – oh wow you caught that, so in return I'll try to answer your questions, the story of Allison and Santana is kind of autobiographical. The whole best friend/more than friends did happen to me, I was with someone who refuses to label our relationship. She would throw a fit when I start getting close to someone else and refused to talk to me until I drop the other person. The bracelet thing in the rain actually happened, we didn't kiss in the rain but she ran after me and we had our first kiss in my room. She left me for a guy after graduation and told me that it was all a mistake and that she was not gay and to add insult to injury she told me that she was only going along with it because she didn't want to hurt me and later on she mailed all the letters and gifts I gave her (even the bracelet) back to me, I threw it all away.

She didn't ask me to run away with her or anything but looking back I would also have waited for 14 hours for her during that time like Santana in this story. Piecing my life together after that experience has not been easy and that is probably why Santana is so guarded in my characterization of her. This is the primary reason while I wailed like a baby during the hurt locker scene and immediately latched on Santana character. Sorry for the long explanation. =)

**Momo30** – things are definitely progressing =)

**soulsaidin** – your review cracked me up! I think she definitely enjoyed the kiss

**pahke** – We both have the same problem, I sometimes have to re-read a previous chapter to jog my memory. As always thank you for your insights. =)

**wkgreen** – her resolve is crumbling!

**Jac Lag **– I hope you'll love Santana in this chapter =)

**eveOFeden **– Thanks for the review and answering my PM =)

Chapter 13

Santana was thinking of ways to castrate Jerry without getting indicted, she even tried googling ways to torture your enemy and delighted herself with thoughts of Jerry tied to a barrel full of TNT. The dick dumped work on her that would last until the next millennium probably because her project got the praise of the powers that be while his project was already delayed and getting negative attention from everyone. His ego took a beating when their bosses decided that Santana will help Jerry get the project back on track. The asshole dumped everything on her and went home at 5. On top of that she has a meeting at 10 pm later with their offshore office. She knew she was cutting it close but she needs to leave in 10 minutes if she has any hope of making it to Brittany's Broadway debut. She looked at the clock and started shoving things in her bag. She has exactly 30 minutes before curtain call and then she has to go back to the office immediately after the show to take the conference call.

She was on her way to the subway when she saw a flower shop along the way. She knew she wouldn't be able to wait for Brittany after the show since she has to go back to her office so she bought a bouquet of flowers for Brittany. She doesn't really care for flowers so she settled for lilies since they don't make her cringe like roses.

On the subway ride Santana let her thoughts wander to the events last Saturday night editing out the Jackie parts of course. She instead focused on the how beautiful Brittany is that night and that kiss.

The kiss that made all coherent thoughts fly out of Santana's brain. When she kissed Brittany her motives were part jealousy at hearing Jackie make a play for Brittany and part wanting to kiss her period. When she asked Brittany if they were on a date she was absolutely mortified at what came out of her mouth. She has been convincing herself that it wasn't a date and then she goes and blurts it out. It was crazy feeling this way after a long time, she felt vulnerable, awkward and unsure, she felt like a fucking sixteen year old. It didn't help that after their non date she found out that one of her pillows still has that lingering strawberry scent of Brittany, needless to say she spent the better part of her night with her head buried on the said pillow. Then like the ass that she was, she spent her whole Sunday holed up in bed, staring (again) at Miss Waddles, Santana's secret name for the stuffed duck that Brittany gave her replaying the kiss over and over in her head instead of actually thinking of a plan on where to take Brittany once she actually asks her out.

She met with Quinn and Rachel outside the theater. Quinn looked at the flowers in Santana's hand and was about to say something when Rachel beat her to it.

"How sweet of you Santana, I must say that Broadway performers are always thrilled when they get flowers ." Rachel said to Santana who looks uncomfortable knowing that both Quinn and Rachel knew who the flowers are for.

Santana mentally counted how many times she has called Rachel names this month and knew that if she spewed out another one Quinn will make her clean the apartment for a month so she just settled for "Shut it Berry, let's go inside it's cold."

Once they were settled in the theater Santana turned to the two girls who are now snuggling with each other and said "Look I have to get back to the office after, I probably won't be able to hang around to wait for her so can you do me a favor and give these flowers to her."

Rachel looked absolutely giddy at the romantic gesture while Quinn had this huge grin on her face and Santana just rolled her eyes at the two of them. Thankfully the show started and Santana couldn't care less with the story, she was too busy looking at Brittany. Seeing Brittany dance was like a religious experience, clearly she was meant to dance judging by the way she moves on stage. She made a mental note to drop by her studio sometime to see her dance. The 3 girls all joined the standing ovation when the show was over. Glancing at her watch Santana cursed to herself and knew she needs to haul ass back to her office.

"I need you two clowns to give this to Brittany, I have a conference call in 20 minutes." Santana said to her two friends.

Quinn just gave her a knowing smile and said "Of course." Before handing the flowers Santana thought of something and turned to Rachel. "Berry give me your pen and paper." Santana said to Rachel.

Rachel looked at Santana questioningly, wondering how Santana knew that she had those items in her purse. This earned her an eye roll from Santana, "Please Berry, you carry at least two pens and a pad of paper in case someone recognizes you and wants an autograph but don't have pen or paper with them."

Rachel looked flustered but after desperately thinking of a comeback she just sighed in defeat and handed Santana her pen and customized paper. Santana looked at the hideous pad of paper with golden stars in the border. "Really Berry? Do you have anything that doesn't look like you stole it from a 2nd grader?" Santana said waving the paper around.

"Stop being a smart ass Santana, you're going to be late." Quinn cut in the conversation. With a sigh Santana looked pensive for a moment before scribbling down something on the paper. After folding the paper, she stuck it in the flowers which is currently in the arms of Rachel.

"Ok I have to go and don't you dare read the note and by that I mean you Berry." Santana said glaring at Rachel before finally hurrying up to the exit.

Brittany's adrenaline was off the charts and she was practically bouncing as she made her way to Quinn, however she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed when she didn't see Santana.

"Britt you were amazing!" Quinn said hugging the girl.

"Thanks Quinn!" Brittany answered.

Rachel who was talking to someone turned around and gave Brittany a huge smile.

"Oh my God Brittany that was some Broadway debut!" Rachel said who also gave Brittany a hug.

Quinn cleared her throat and motioned to the object in Rachel's hand.

"Oh, these are for you." Rachel said handing Brittany the bouquet of flowers

"They're beautiful, thanks Rach." Brittany said touched by gesture cradling the flowers in her hands.

"Actually Britt, they're from Santana. She had to go back to the office but she was here for the whole show she just couldn't wait for you." Quinn explained to Brittany who couldn't help the blush that formed in her cheeks. Although she would have preferred Santana's smiling face she has to admit that the flowers were unbelievably sweet.

"There's a note too." Rachel said gesturing to the bouquet. And there it was sticking out was a piece of paper. Brittany was beaming at this point and did not go unnoticed by Quinn and Rachel who just exchanged knowing smiles.

Brittany carefully opened the paper and read the note.

_Brittany,_

_You were absolutely amazing! I'm sorry I couldn't stay to say that personally. I guess I really need to take you up on those dance lessons._

_Santana_

_P.S. Sorry for the stupid paper, it's not my fault the gnome has taste that rivals that of a preschooler_

_P.P.S Don't show this to Rachel or Quinn, I've already reached my quota for name calling for the month _

Brittany couldn't help but laugh at Santana's note and when Quinn and Rachel both gave her a questioning look, she shoved the note in her pockets and just shrugged at the two with a goofy grin on her face.

xx

She couldn't stop pacing in the living room while Brittany looked on during a Saturday afternoon a week after Brittany's Broadway debut.

"Tell me again what she said?" Santana said sounding stressed out.

"She told me that the whole Lopez family is coming to New York for your birthday because your dad and brother have a convention in the city and that if it's ok with me they'd want to meet me." Brittany said trying to make her voice as even as possible in order not aggravate the situation.

Santana wonders if it's too soon to start hyperventilating over this latest piece of news that Brittany told her earlier. Leave it to her family to show up in New York without actually telling her.

She was just starting her much needed vacation when her phone rang and Brittany told her the news, her whole family as in her Mom, Dad, brother and sister are all coming to New York for her birthday nonetheless. She loved her family to pieces and misses them most of the time but sometimes theory is better than actual reality especially with the current situation where her family thinks that she is currently in a serious committed relationship with a certain Brittany S. Pierce.

Add that to the fact that Santana was on the verge of asking Brittany out on a formal date and now it seems her plans are quickly going down the drain.

Brittany's hands reached out to steady Santana, who she was sure was already creating a hole in the carpet with her incessant pacing.

"Santana, you're making me dizzy." Brittany said tugging the other girls arm to force her to sit beside her.

The contact brought unexpected warmth to Santana who had no choice but to sit beside Brittany.

"Look San, we'll be ok. I mean I've talked to both of your parents already on the phone and I think I can handle it." Brittany said confidently to Santana while still holding her hand.

"I know you'll do great Britt, it's just that I was hoping to…..uhmmm ask you out for real." Santana said avoiding Brittany's eyes.

"Oh." Brittany said suddenly speechless and blushing from what Santana said.

"The whole thing is getting a bit confusing you know?I mean the whole pretending thing which is funny because we both said we'd talk about the whole testing the waters thing and then I got busy and you were also busy and before we even had the chance to uhmm..test the waters we now have to put up with my family thinking we've been dating for months." Santana rambled not really sure if she was still making sense. Thankfully she was saved from further embarrassment when she heard her phone ring in the coffee table. Santana reluctantly withdrew her hand from Brittany to answer her phone.

"Well speak of the devil." Santana said showing her phone to Brittany where the face of Maria Lopez was smiling on the screen.

"Hello Mom." Santana said unable suppress the sarcasm in her voice.

"What's with the tone Santana?" Maria said annoyed by how her middle child greeted her.

"So when were you planning on telling me that the whole Lopez clan is flying to New York?" Santana said her irritation now apparent of being left out of the news.

"Well seeing as I am talking to you right now, the answer to your question is right now." Maria answered her daughter smugly.

Santana rolled her eyes at her Mother's sarcasm. "Santana if you keep rolling your eyes like that one day it will get stuck." Maria said knowingly.

"Wait, how did you? Are you watching me now with binoculars or something?" Santana asked, amused that her Mother has predicted her reaction.

"I raised you Santana that should be answer enough." Maria simply stated.

"So I'm guessing Brittany told you?" Maria making the conclusion on how Santana found out about the trip.

"Yes! and don't you think you should have told your daughter first before asking her girlfriend on Facebook to meet them in person." Santana said exaggerating the hurt tone in her voice.

Brittany was watching the scene unfold from the couch and she couldn't help but smile a little when she heard Santana say girlfriend, liking the way it rolled off Santana's lips.

"Santana I have been calling you for the past few days and you haven't been returning my calls. I wanted to send you a message on Facebook but I know you haven't logged in for ages." Maria explained to her daughter.

"FIne Mom, when are you planning on arriving here?" Santana asked her mother in a much calmer tone.

"Your sister is arriving tomorrow and we'll leave on Tuesday." Maria said to her daughter.

"Oh Mikaela's coming?" Santana asked her tone now excited at the prospect of seeing her baby sister.

"Yes and don't spoil her too much ok?It's bad enough that she has Christian and your Dad wrapped around her finger. " Maria said in a scolding tone.

"Oh please Mom we all spoil her." Santana retorted.

After a few more minutes of eye rolls and protests from Santana, she handed Brittany the phone.

"Britt my mom wants to talk to you." Santana said and mouthed _sorry_ to the other girl.

"Hi Maria." Brittany said to the woman on the line. Santana tried to listen in but Brittany pinched her and stuck her tongue out.

"Ouch, that hurt Britt." Santana said scowling and Brittany just gave her a big smile and mouthed _big baby_.

Knowing that her efforts to eavesdrop are futile, Santana headed to the kitchen to get her and Brittany something to drink. With two glasses of orange juice in her hand she headed out to the living room to hear Brittany say.

"No Maria, I insist, I'll get you tickets for the performance on Friday you don't have to buy them. It's no problem Maria and I'll see you soon." Brittany said before ending the call and handing Santana her phone.

"Thanks" Brittany said after taking a sip on her glass of orange juice.

"So what did she say?" Santana asked Brittany.

"They're watching me perform on Friday with you of course and I kind of said yes for the both of us to have brunch and spend the day with them on Thursday." Brittany said not looking at Santana

"Britt!" Santana said exasperated.

"Santana what was I supposed to say? Your Mom's like really persuasive and I couldn't say no. I mean she asked me if I'm free anytime this week and when I said Thursday she invited me to spend the day." Brittany answered.

"God! That woman and her evil talents." Santana said to no one in particular.

"It will be ok San. I mean it's just a few hours." Brittany said assuring Santana.

"I hope to God you're right Britt." Santana said sounding defeated.

"Oh hey San, come on, It'll be great I promise. I have to go back to the studio so just call me or text me about the plans ok?" Brittany said giving Santana a sweet smile.

Santana couldn't help but smile back at the girl and when Brittany left she couldn't shake off the feeling that her birthday this year will be pretty interesting.

xx

Brittany didn't know what is making her heart beat faster, the fact that she was about to meet Maria and Mikaela Lopez for brunch or that Santana's fingers are currently intertwined in her own. The gesture was meant to stop Brittany from fidgeting but 10 minutes later Santana still hasn't let go. Despite Santana's protests, they are now about to spend the day with her mother and baby sister. Thankfully Santana's father and brother are tied up in some doctor's convention which lessened the pressure somehow. In no time at all, Brittany saw Maria Lopez waving at them from the entrance of the restaurant, closely followed by a younger version of Santana. She felt Santana squeeze her hand and when she looked at her, Santana gave her a reassuring smile.

Maria completely ignoring her daughter enveloped Brittany in a big hug.

"It's nice to finally meet you Brittany, my daughter has been absolutely tight lipped about you except to tell us that you're currently the best dancer in Broadway." Maria said smiling at Brittany who blushed at the compliment.

"Thank you." Brittany said smiling back at the older Lopez.

"Hi I'm Mikaela." Santana's sister said to Brittany.

"Brittany." She answered shaking the youngest Lopez's hand.

"I have to give it to you sis you have better taste than Christian." Mikaela said to Santana.

"Well I have standards while his only requirements are a pair of tits and crazy enough to date him." Santana said smirking at his sister who laughed at her statement.

"Girls language." Maria said admonishing her two daughters.

The waiter arrived and took their orders, when he left Brittany took something out of her purse and handed the tickets to the show on Friday.

"Here are the tickets Maria and I also arranged for you to go backstage if you want." Brittany said shyly to the older woman.

"Oh gosh! Thanks honey, we're really excited to watch you perform and Santana couldn't stop talking about how great you are." Maria said

"Yeah she couldn't stop blabbing about you when we talked on Skype." Mikaela added successfully embarrassing her older sister.

"Shut up or I won't give your advance Christmas gift." Santana said glaring at her sister.

"Wow you bought it? like right now? I love you Santana! You're the best sister ever!" Mikaela said who looked absolutely excited. It was Maria's turn to glare at her older daughter.

"What happened to not spoiling her?" Maria said to Santana.

"She has been bugging me about this on email, Skype, text plus she'll pay me back 30% since it's way more than what I intend to spend for her gift." Santana said to her Mom who just looked at Brittany and sighed.

Santana handed Mikaela the paper bag she was carrying and her younger sister squealed with delight when she uncovered a brand new DSLR camera. Their food arrived but the younger girl insisted on taking a picture of their food first before letting anyone take a bite.

"You should have given it to her after eating." Maria said scolding her Santana who just shrugged.

"Come on Mom, I took a photography class and the instructor said I have a decent eye plus I can totally take awesome pictures of you and this trip that you can upload to Facebook." Mikaela said in a sweet tone.

Maria Lopez just rolled her eyes at her daughter who was fiddling with her new toy.

Santana reached out to Brittany and whispered "Hey are you ok?" Santana asked.

Brittany smiled at Santana and nodded enjoying the interaction between the Lopez women. Maria was soon persuaded by Mikaela to pose for some pictures. Soon enough Mikaela was taking "candid" pictures of her mother pretending to take a bite and talking to Brittany and Santana.

Brittany couldn't help but notice that despite what Santana says she's more relaxed and a smile hasn't left her face ever since her mother and sister arrived.

"Take a picture of the lovebirds." Maria said to her daughter.

"Mom nobody uses the term lovebirds." Santana said to her mother trying to hide her embarrassment.

"My daughter always the smart ass, I admire you Brittany for your patience in my daughter's _wit_." Maria said to Brittany emphasizing the last word which earned a giggle from the blonde.

"Shut up San and smile." Brittany said to Santana before pulling her closer. They gamely posed for a few pictures and Brittany noticed that Santana's dimple hasn't left her face and as if pulled by gravity, Brittany placed a light kiss on Santana's dimple. Santana surprised by the gesture turned to look at Brittany with questioning eyes and Brittany just shrugged and smiled which Santana returned, their eye contact was only broken when they heard the click of the camera and Mikaela's voice saying "Awww cute!". They reluctantly broke their gaze and returned to eating.

Brunch lasted for two hours with Maria asking about Brittany's family and how it feels to be performing in Broadway. Mikaela was fiddling with her camera the whole time, she even got the waiter to take a picture of the 4 of them and a few picture with her sister and girlfriend taken by her mom.

Both Brittany and Santana reached for the bill but was stopped by Maria who gave the waiter her credit card. While waiting for the receipt, Santana asked her mother her plans for the day and without batting and eyelash answered,

"We're going to see Liberty Island do a bit of sightseeing." Maria said to her daughter.

"You're kidding right?" Santana asked incredulously

"No." Maria simply answered.

"I'm not coming." Santana stated.

"Because?" Maria asked her daughter.

"Because only tourists go there and I'm a New Yorker." Santana said smugly

"Well Miss New Yorker suit yourself, I'm betting Brittany also a New Yorker will gladly go with us." Maria said turning to Brittany.

"Of course I'll go and uhm..I actually haven't been there." Brittany admitted shyly to the older Lopez.

Brittany then turned to Santana, captured her eyes and said "San please come with us?" Brittany then grabbed Santana's hand and intertwined her their fingers together. Santana mesmerized by Brittany's pleading eyes gave out a defeated "Fine."

Mikaela made a whipping sound to which Santana responded with a "I can still take that back you know" warning her sister.

Maria trying hard to contain a smile turned to Brittany and said, "I should have looked for you years ago and introduced you to Santana, You would have saved me a lot of headache." Maria said in a teasing tone.

Santana just rolled her eye and sighed. "Now let's go see Lady Liberty" Santana said defeatedly.


	14. Chapter 14

_I want to apologize for the delayed update. Work has been kicking my ass lately and exhaustion has been winning every time I attempt to finish this chapter. This chapter turned out to be a fluffy one and I do hope it was worth the wait._

_Thank you for the faves, alerts and reviews! I appreciate any review. Apologies for any spelling, grammar and any other mistakes you might find._

_I don't own anything._

**sthlmynnej, veras333, MKR, Momo30, G, DeadFlash27, homobo362, Oddas94, 123beakie, chicavolcom89, aliesmyles,buffyTheGleekslayer, CalmingBlue** - sorry for the delay I hope you all enjoy this one. Thank you for consistently giving feedback! You all make me happy

**The Swede** – I'm not sure if this chapter qualifies as a date but I do hope you enjoy it =)

**wkgreen** – a whipped Santana is always adorable and of course Brittany will give her a gift =)

**gotlovetokill** – Her birthday will be interesting I promise =)

**Blueskkies,ggbonz, SraightShark** – Santana is always and will always be whipped

**Hazelp** – Thanks for the fondue!

**ggbonz** – a jealous Brittany will be interesting indeed =)

**pahke, peini** – I think the lines are becoming blurred more and more ;)

**palex1426** – Glad you liked Santana as a sister! I would imagine she'd be sweet to her sister but a little bitchy too

**AgentB81** – Thanks! The feelings are definitely there. BTW I love Empire State of Mind =)

**eveOFeden** – I had that scene in mind before I started writing this story and I was waiting for the right moment to include it. Also thanks for replying to my PM.

**there.** – I hope you enjoy this chapter ;)

**Jac Lag** – thank you as always! I want a Santana too it would be awesome to have someone like her and I just wanted to say that your review always makes me laugh.

**Verena R** – Glad you liked the chapter and that I somehow make you happy. For the post script, thank you, I'm in a better place now and there's the hope of finding someone in the future.

**geunmanhaeyo** – it may feel like the hurt will never end but trust that the wounds will heal eventually. If you're feeling crazy or anything just drop me a note =)

**daftdaffy88** – thanks for the message! I hope you like this one.

Chapter 14

Santana had a scowl on her face as she waited in line to buy tickets to the ferry that will take them to Liberty Island and Ellis Island. Of course she was tasked to get the tickets while her mother and sister took pictures around Battery Park. Brittany on the other hand was currently looking at the freaking squirrels in the park. When Santana said that they were a close relative of the rat Brittany just pouted and she just sighed and proceeded to stand in line. It was a good thing that it was a weekday and there are less tourists waiting in line. She let her thoughts wander to the events earlier. She knew Brittany was nervous about meeting her mother and sister which is why she decided to give Mikaela her gift for Christmas to provide a little distraction. She could tell her Mom liked Brittany and now all that's left to do is to actually date the girl.

Brittany bought 4 bottled waters and walked towards Santana, she noticed the scowl on Santana's face and she smiled to herself. There's something about a grumpy Santana that is both adorable and hot, with her forehead all scrunched up and her lips extra pouty that makes Brittany want to kiss every line and nibble on those lips until her dimples show and then she'll kiss those too.

"Hey." Brittany said handing Santana a bottle of water

"Thanks." Santana said giving Brittany a grateful smile.

"So how's the rats?" Santana asked with a teasing tone on her voice after taking a gulp of water.

Brittany scrunched up her nose and said "They're not rats San and I love Chip and Dale."

Santana laughed and said "Whatever Britt, they're still rats."

Before Brittany can respond they were joined Maria and Mikaela who started showing Santana the pictures she took. Maria smiled at Brittany and linked her arms to the girl.

"So how did you like the New York City Ballet?" Maria asked

"it was wonderful Maria. Santana told me that I have you to thank for the tickets." Brittany answered giving the older woman a huge smile.

"It was nothing and just send me a message in Facebook if you want anymore shows, I'd be glad to call in a favor anytime to my friend and you can drag Santana along with you, God knows my daughter, your _girlfriend,_ needs a little more culture." Maria said clearly teasing her middle child.

"Mom! I resent that! I am cultured! Tell her Britt I had fun at the ballet!" Santana said scowling at her mother.

"Oh wow real mature Santana, asking your girlfriend to defend you to Mom." Mikaela said joining in which earned her a glare from her older sister.

"Could have fooled me with that smart mouth of yours honey." Maria said jokingly at her daughter and proceeded to kiss her forehead.

After going through the security check, the 4 women made their way to the ferry and of course Santana's mother insisted that they stay on the top deck of the ferry even though the wind was freezing. Her sister has finally stopped taking pictures to preserve the battery for Liberty and Ellis Island trip. Santana smirked in satisfaction when she saw her Mom and sister huddled together trying to get warm against the chilly New York air. _Ha! That's what they get for dragging her to this trip_ Santana thought to herself. She then looked around to look for Brittany and saw her leaning on the rails furiously rubbing her palms together to keep warm. She smiled at the sight and made her way towards Brittany.

Without thinking about it she tugged at Brittany's thin sweater and before the blonde can react Santana took her cold hands in between her own and rubbed them gently trying to transfer some warmth. The contact caused a warm fuzzy feeling to spread all over Brittany's body. She grinned at Santana and with her teeth still chattering managed to utter "Th-Thanks."

Santana bit back a laugh when she heard Brittany squeak out thanks and knew that rubbing their hands together wasn't enough. Before the sudden surge of confidence leaves her, Santana pulled Brittany in an embrace. She felt Brittany stiffen at the contact but before she could pull away thinking it was too much too soon she felt Brittany melt into the embrace. With her head buried in Brittany's neck, Santana couldn't help but inhale the familiar strawberry scent that has haunted her dreams for the past few weeks.

After the initial shock of having Santana's warm body wrapped on her own, Brittany tightened the embrace and rested her head on top of Santana's head, enjoying the feel of the dark locks against her skin. Smiling Brittany moved her head so that her lips were grazing Santana's earlobes that made the other girl shiver.

"Trying to cop a feel Lopez?" Brittany said teasingly.

Santana lifted her head to look at Brittany not backing down from the flirty banter that Brittany started.

"You wish Pierce." Santana said grinning.

The harsh New York wind has managed to make Brittany's nose red and Santana giggled at the sight. Removing her hands from Brittany, she rubbed them together to generate warmth and smiling at Brittany said. "Come here Rudolph."

Santana then cupped Brittany's face to transfer some of the heat she generated. Soon her hands were joined by Brittany and they both smiled at the contact. Santana could have easily closed the distance between their lips to give the Brittany much needed warmth but before she can resolve her inner struggle she saw Brittany's eyes dart up and an unmistakable light brightened her eyes before a confused look took over her face.

"San, why is the Statue of Liberty green?" Brittany asked sincerely.

Santana giggled at Brittany's question and noticed that the ferry has stopped and the passengers were slowly making their way out.

'Let's find out shall we." Santana answered smiling at Brittany intertwining their fingers together while they made their way to Maria and Mikaela who were both grinning at the two of them.

Of course Maria couldn't pass up the opportunity to remark on her daughter's display of affection.

"I thought you two wouldn't stop feeling each other up." Maria said smiling smugly when she saw the two girls blush.

"Mom! And you tell me I'm not cultured!" Santana said exasperated at her mother.

"What at least I didn't interrupt your little moment to say get a room." Her mother said teasing her daughter further.

This time it was Mikaela's turn to roll her eyes and said "Mom, you should really stop watching Keeping Up With the Kardashians. Repeat after me I-AM-NOT-KRIS-JENNER-I-DONT-NEED-TO-MEDDLE-TOO-MUCH-IN-MY-CHILDREN'S-LIFE"

"Good one sis." Santana said giving her sister a high five and smiling smugly at her mother.

xx

Sitting in one on the wrought iron chairs scattered throughout the park, she has managed to get away from her Mom, sister and Brittany who was probably scouring the souvenir shop for knick knacks and whatnots. Her theory was confirmed when she saw the 3 women making their way to her each with a freaking liberty foam crown on top of their heads. Santana had a horrible feeling of what will happen next. True enough, Brittany broke away from the group and bounded towards Santana with an extra foam crown in hand and by this time Santana was desperately fighting her flight instinct.

"San!" Brittany said excitedly showing Santana the foam crown. Before she knew it Santana was wearing the hideous object in her head after Brittany unceremoniously stuck it in her head.

She has this overwhelming desire to chuck the damn thing in the water but a quick kiss in her cheeks from Brittany shut her up.

"You look cute San." Brittany said grinning at Santana. The blonde then pulled her up from the bench and intertwined their hands together and led her towards the statue. Santana just sighed and looked at her sister who was desperately trying not to laugh and her Mom who gave her a thumb ups sign.

Of course Mikaela had to take millions of pictures of her with the stupid crown. Mikaela kept the camera from Santana knowing that her big sister will delete all the pictures of her wearing the crown especially the one where Santana and Brittany was mimicking the Statue of Liberty complete with ice cream cones as torch.

After an hour of walking around the park and taking pictures, Santana and Brittany found themselves sitting in one of the wrought iron benches resting their tired feet. Both girls are still wearing their foam crowns, the chilly air gave the two girls an excuse to huddle close together with Brittany leaning her head in Santana's shoulder while Santana has her arms around BrIttany.

"San?" Brittany asked loving the feel of Santana's arms around her.

"Hmmm?" Santana answered with her eyes closed.

"You didn't answer my question, why is she green? I thought she was white." Brittany asked

Santana chuckled a little and said "It's the chemical reaction of the copper with water, she's actually supposed to be reddish brown."

Brittany sighed and looked up to meet warm brown eyes.

"You're so smart." Brittany said grinning at Santana and who just shrugged.

"Oh wow I didn't know you were so _humble." _Brittany said teasing Santana.

"And I didn't know you were capable of sarcasm." Santana retorted.

Their flirtatious banter was interrupted when Maria and Mikaela appeared. The 4 women then made their way towards the ferry, Brittany and Santana with their hands still intertwined.

After what felt like hours, they finally made boarded the ferry that will take them back to Manhattan. Santana's stomach was grumbling and the only thing that was keeping her from throwing a tantrum was Brittany who has her arms wrapped around her while they watched the sun set from the ferry. They let the silence envelope them not needing words just enjoying one of this rare moments in life where everything is right in the world.

xx

"Santana chew your food properly or you're going to have indigestion." Maria said to her daughter who was shoving pierogis and kielbasas in her mouth at a record rate.

"I'm not 5 Mom." Santana mumbled her mouth still overflowing with food.

"More like a 3 year old and don't talk while your mouth is full honey." Maria said scolding her middle child.

Brittany giggled at the exchange while Mikaela who must be used to her mom and sister's banter fiddled with her camera.

Santana just scowled at her mother and continued her assault on the mouthwatering food at Veselka. Maria winked at Brittany which just made her giggle more.

"So Brittany, my mission tomorrow is to get the whole cast to sign my playbill. Do you think you can help me?" Maria asked the blonde with a smile on her face.

"Of course Maria, I'll give you a tour backstage after the show." Brittany answered and they both proceeded to discuss the life of a Broadway performer.

Santana turned her attention to her sister who had a smug smile on her face while looking at the shots she took.

"What's the smile for?" Santana asked her sister. Mikaela showed Santana the picture of her and Brittany in Lady Liberty's pose and before Santana has the chance to snatch the camera away, Mikaela was able to keep it at arms length with a mischievous grin on her face.

"Upload that in Facebook and you're dead." Santana said threatening her sister

"I highly doubt that, Dad will miss me a lot." Mikaela said smirking at her sister.

"Fine you little brat, how much for the picture?" Santana asked knowing that her sister will use it to blackmail her.

"Is your opinion of me really that low?" Mikaela said feigning hurt.

"Yes. Remember when you threatened to tell Mom and Dad that I have a voodoo doll collection unless I freaking drive you and your friends to the mall 4 times a week?" Santana said glaring at her sister.

"Well you do have a very creepy voodoo doll collection." Mikaela answered.

"Which was none of your business and Mom ended up finding out about it anyway." Santana spat back at her sister.

"In my defense, it was Christian who opened his big mouth and ratted you out to Mom, not me." Mikaela answered her sister.

Their little squabble got the attention of Maria who rolled her eyes at her daughters.

"I swear to God, it's like they didn't grow up." Maria said to Brittany.

"Mikaela started it. She was blackmailing me about some stupid pictures she took and wouldn't let me delete them." Santana said defensively. The younger Lopez started to protest but was cut off by Brittany who decided to join the fray.

"What pictures?" Brittany asked curious on what sparked the argument.

With a smug smile Mikaela showed Brittany the offending picture and a pout formed in Brittany mouth as soon as she saw the picture and Santana had a sinking feeling in her stomach.

"But we look really cute in this San." Brittany stated her eyebrows furrowed and Santana has this sudden urge to pepper kisses all over Brittany's face to erase the damn pout and wrinkles that formed in her forehead.

"I know you both look _super cute_." Mikaela added trying hard not to laugh at her sister who was clearly trying to keep her temper in check.

"Fine, keep the picture." Santana said in a small voice which was earned her a smile from Brittany who grabbed her hand and intertwined their fingers together above the table.

Maria smiled at the two girls blushing from the contact.

"I have to say Brittany; you're saving us anger management therapy money on this one." Maria said pointing to Santana who just glared at her mother.

When Brittany and Maria resumed their small talk, Santana leaned over to her sister who had a victorious smile plastered on her face while eating her pierogi and whispered, "Post that in facebook and I'll find a way to break in your hotel room and that camera is going back to the store faster than you can say cheese."

Mikaela just swallowed her pierogi and nodded her head knowing that her sister meant business.

xx

Santana's mood was lighter after she was fed and the fact that Brittany's warm hands were on her thigh while she drove didn't hurt either.

They dropped off Brittany first and Santana turned off the engine while Brittany gathered her things, Santana instantly missing Brittany's touch.

"I had a great time." Brittany said to the two women in the backseat.

"It was nice meeting you Brittany. You have the Lopez seal of approval." Mikaela said grinning

"The pleasure is all ours honey." Maria said to Brittany.

Brittany then looked at Santana, not sure on how to say goodbye to her "girlfriend". Santana couldn't stop fidgeting in her seat. She wanted to kick herself for not insisting that they drop off her mom and sister first at the hotel and now she's stuck in this awkward situation.

"Come on sis, kiss her goodnight already. I want to show Daddy my new toy." Mikaela whined at the backseat and Santana felt an overwhelming urge to kick her sister.

"That's rude Mikaela. Why don't you walk her to the door honey? We don't mind waiting for a few minutes and we all know Santana will sneak back in and sleep over after she drops us off at the hotel." Maria said nonchalantly.

"Mom!" Santana and Mikaela yelled simultaneously.

"And you said I was rude." Mikaela mumbled plugging in her earphones.

Brittany just laughed and opened the door of the car. Before fully closing the door she waved at Maria and Mikaela and mouthed bye.

While Brittany walked to the door, Santana was glued to her seat.

"Well? Aren't you saying goodnight?" Maria asked her daughter who just groaned and opened the door of the car.

"Britt! Wait!" Santana said sprinting towards the girl who was currently fishing out her keys from her purse.

"Did I forget something?" Brittany asked her brows furrowed.

"No, I'm not sure if my Mom already mentioned it but they reserved this little jazz bar in the theatre district for my birthday this Saturday and I hope you could come. There's going to be dancing and stuff." Santana said grateful that the night has managed to hide her blush.

"Of course I'll go even if I'm not invited I'll probably gate crash" Brittany answered giving Santana a wink. This made Santana giggle but they were interrupted by the sound of a car door opening, it was Maria who transferred from the backseat to the front seat.

"She's so annoying. She's probably waiting for us to kiss or something." Santana said offhandedly

She was cut off when Brittany suddenly pulled Santana to her and captured Santana's lips with her own. Parting her lips slightly Brittany gently sucked on Santana's lower lip before pulling back and was pleased to hear a slight moan escape from Santana who still had her eyes close. Brittany leaned in one more time to give Santana a quick peck before whispering goodnight and opening the door to her apartment.

Her head swimming Santana was left standing at the door her senses overwhelmed with everything Brittany. It was only when her mother honked the car did she make her way back with a goofy grin plastered on her face.

Maria looked at her daughter and remarked, "Well I think somebody's definitely sneaking back in to her girlfriend's place." and Santana just shook her head and drove.

xx

Later that evening, after dropping of her Mom and sister and saying hi to her Dad and brother , Santana went home still smiling that her face was starting to hurt. Santana found Quinn in the apartment with her laptop open.

"What's with grin? Did you finally manage to trip the guy hitting on you at apartment 20 who looks like a yeti?" Quinn said her eyebrows raised.

"No, but I'm glad you mentioned it. He gets his mail at around 7am so I'll do it then." Santana said suddenly looking thoughtful.

"Now that's more of the Santana I know." Quinn said playfully.

"So how's the meeting between the great Mrs. Lopez and the fake girlfriend." Quinn asked interested on what happened.

"None of your business, but for the record Mom and Mikaela loved her." Santana answered while opening the fridge and getting some ice cream. She sat down next to Quinn and handed her a spoon.

After swallowing a spoonful of ice cream Quinn continued probing Santana.

"And does the non girlfriend currently in this room feel the same way?" Quinn said her eyes never leaving Santana.

"None of your fucking business." Santana answered grabbing the ice cream from Quinn.

"Fine be that way, but just so you know, actions always speak louder than words." Quinn said with a knowing smile on her face.

'But in your case, your girlfriend is louder than everything else in this world." Santana said smiling sweetly at Quinn who shoved Santana and snatched the ice cream.

Santana laughed and went inside her room to get ready for bed. After a quick shower, Santana was changing into her pajamas when she heard Quinn from the living room calling her.

"What Fabgay?" Santana said sticking her head out of her room annoyed.

Quinn turned her head around and with a smug smile said, "You might want to check Facebook, I didn't know this trip was very _liberating_." Quinn said emphasizing the last word and was trying desperately to suppress her laughter.

"I am going to kill my sister!" Santana exclaimed immediately knowing what Quinn was talking about.

She slammed her bedroom door and opened her laptop while thinking of ways to get even with her baby sister without her parents finding about.

A few strokes on the keyboard and she was looking at the pictures her sister took and the bitch does have an eye for photography. She scanned through various pictures of her mom, sister and pausing for a few seconds whenever Brittany's face is on the frame.

And then she saw the pictures of her wearing the stupid crown, thankfully Mikaela made good on her promise and did not upload the picture of her and Brittany in Lady Liberty's pose. She scrolled through the rest of the pictures and one in particular caught her eye, it was a picture of her and Brittany on the ferry going back to Manhattan. They were both looking at the sunset while Brittany had her arms around Santana, she didn't know Mikaela took a picture of them and by the way that she was smiling she knew that she was too wrapped up in the moment to notice. They both had this lazy smile on their faces and Santana was leaning back on Brittany's shoulder.

The goofy grin once again made an appearance on Santana's face but was immediately replaced by a scowl when she saw the caption: "Awwww Satan has a heart". She was about to comment on the picture when she saw two notifications pop up in her screen. Brittany S. Pierce likes a photo of you and Brittany S. Pierce made your photo her profile picture. Curious she went to Brittany's page and saw the same photo that she was looking at as Brittany's profile picture and just like that the grin was back.


	15. Chapter 15

_I want to apologize for the hiatus on this story. Work has been crazy and I can't find the time to squeeze in writing. Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter especially the ones who tirelessly reviews each chapter you know who you are =D, I'm sorry if I won't be able to put in shout outs in this chapter since I want to publish it as soon as possible. _

_Thank you for the faves, alerts and reviews! I appreciate any review. Apologies for any spelling, grammar and any other mistakes you might find especially since I don't have the time to proof read this chapter. _

_I don't own anything._

Chapter 15

The adrenaline of performing was at a record high, long after the curtain closed and Brittany could still feel it in her veins while changing out of her costume to meet the whole Lopez family to take them backstage as promised.

Throughout the day Brittany had this goofy grin plastered on her face after walking up from a not so PG dream about Santana. The subtle touches and chaste kisses were slowly driving her mad and they never even had a proper date yet. She resolved to ask Santana out after her birthday party tomorrow. Any hesitation she might have on starting a relationship with Santana was wiped from her mind after meeting her family and kissing her yesterday. Being with her just felt right and she doesn't feel as if she has to put up an appearance whenever they're together unlike most of her past relationships.

A bouquet of flowers from Maria Lopez was waiting for her when she arrived at the theater which only made her smile more. She actually envied Santana and how her family has embraced her sexuality whereas she was still waiting for her own parents to say the word lesbian out loud.

She finally made it outside the dressing room to meet Santana and her family and as promised all the 5 Lopez was waiting for her. Maria was the first one who took a step forward and immediately enveloped Brittany in a hug which she returned.

"You were astounding!" Maria said excitedly. While clutching her playbill in one hand, Maria pulled Brittany towards the rest of the Lopez family.

Brittany spotted Santana beside a man which is unmistakably Mr. Lopez who had a kind smile on his face and right behind her was a handsome young man who she recognized as Christian who had his arms wrapped around Mikaela.

The older man stepped forward and held out his hand.

"Hi Brittany, I'm Miguel, it's nice to finally meet you." Miguel said shaking Brittany's hand.

Following his father, Christian held out his hand to Brittany. "Nice to meet you Brittany, I'm Christian the best looking Lopez." Christian said with a wink that made Brittany giggle.

Mikaela just waved and gave Brittany two thumbs up.

Brittany's eyes then found Santana's familiar brown ones and for a minute they just stared and smiled at each other. The spell was broken when Christian nudged Santana towards Brittany.

"Oh please give her a kiss already. You were practically drooling earlier every time she appeared on stage." Christian said teasing Santana who shoved her brother in return before taking a step towards Brittany.

Taking Santana's cue, Brittany closed the distance between them, pulling Santana in for a hug and placing a peck on her lips.

"Awwww. You were right Mikaela they're so cute together." Christian said with a playful glint in his eyes before reaching out and pinching Santana in the cheeks. Santana shoved his brother and they both earned a glare from their mother, a sigh from their father and an eye roll from Mikaela.

Brittany suppressed a smile and instead laced her fingers through Santana and turned to Maria.

"So what do you say we meet the cast?" Brittany asked Maria who beamed at Brittany's words. The Lopez men decided to skip the backstage tour and wait for the girls outside the theater.

In no time at all, Maria has managed to charm the cast and her playbill was already overflowing with autograph. Brittany was impressed especially since Maria's attention to detail managed to flatter the actors in the production by pointing out the strengths of their performance. Mikaela on the other hand managed to catch the eye of the assistant director and was now flirting with him, Brittany made a mental note to threaten the guy with bodily harm in case he has some funny business up his sleeves.

While Maria was busy praising one of the lead actors, Brittany made her way to her spot in the dressing room to get her things and flowers when she spotted Santana talking to Kate, the actress who plays Velma. Her eyes narrowed when she saw Kate move closer to Santana and touch her arm. Brittany wanted to yank the skanks hands away from Santana but instead she took a deep breath and made her way to the two women. Kate was really pulling out all the stops in flirting with Santana, batting her eyelashes and occasionally touching Santana and it irked her that Santana seems to be enjoying the exchange.

Brittany cleared her throat and relished in the fact that Kate looked guilty when she saw Brittany approaching. Santana looked up and beamed when she saw Brittany walking towards them. Holding out her hand, Santana pulled Brittany to her and when their eyes met they completely forgot about the presence of the other girl.

"So is my Mom being a diva and telling everyone how to act?" Santana asked with playful smile in her face.

"Unlike you they all seem to love her." Brittany answered teasing Santana. Brittany then felt Kate's eyes on them and on a whim Brittany closed the distance between them to give Santana a soft kiss on the lips. Brittany smiled when she felt Santana respond and it took all her willpower to pull back but not before giving Santana's delicious lips 3 successive pecks.

Without breaking their eye contact and a coy smile in her lips, Brittany said, "Hi Kate, I see you've meet my _girlfriend._" emphasizing the last word. Santana gave Brittany a puzzled look, Brittany snaked an arm around Santana's waist and faced Kate with her best fake smile.

"I'm afraid I have to steal her away now but I'll see you tomorrow." Brittany said pulling Santana with her. While they waited for Maria to finish saying goodbye to the cast, Brittany still had her arms around Santana protectively, an adorable scowl gracing her face. Santana wasn't used to seeing Brittany this way but she had a pretty good idea on the cause of Brittany's mood.

With a sly smile, Santana caught Brittany's attention and said, "Britt, were you jealous earlier, when I was talking to what-her-face?"

"No." Brittany said curtly, her frown ever leaving her face although Brittany was delighted that Santana didn't seem interested in Kate since it seems like she doesn't even remember her name.

"Right." Santana said biting back a smirk from forming in her lips.

"She was obviously making a play for you and you were smiling and stuff." Brittany said avoiding Santana's eyes.

Santana sighed loudly intent on milking the situation for all it's worth. "Hmm, it was nice to know that the Lopez charm still works, I mean she practically came out of nowhere and started batting her eyelashes at me."

" Oh yeah? Well she flirts with everyone even the guy who picks out the trash in the seats after every show." Brittany said venom lacing her words

At this point Brittany was seething with jealousy and was biting her lower lip trying hard not to look at Santana. Santana was watching the emotions play out in Brittany's face and when she was sure that Brittany was about to explode, she nudged Brittany and when blue eyes met hers she let a huge grin grace her face.

"But you know I told her that I was sort of seeing this awesome girl plus she wasn't my type, she talks way too much, reminds me of this midget I know. I'm more into pouty, jealous blondes who can dance." Santana said her eyes shining with mischief.

Brittany couldn't resist this flirty, charming version of Santana. "Too bad because I'm an awesome dancer, blonde and I have a very cute pout but I'm not jealous. I guess I'm not your type after all." Brittany retorted with a playful smile dancing in her lips.

The dimple in Santana's cheek appeared and Brittany was about to kiss Santana senseless, dating or fake dating be damned when both Maria and Mikaela appeared.

"What's up with the dopey smiles?" Mikaela said questioningly.

Santana ignored her sister and looked at her mother instead. "So Mom are you done? I'm starving and I bet Dad is already cranky." Santana said lacing Brittany's hand through her own.

"And we all know who among his children got that wonderful trait." Maria said winking at Brittany who giggled knowing full well that Maria is pertaining to Santana.

Just as Maria has predicted, Miguel Lopez has a scowl identical to that of Santana but a quick kiss and a smile from Maria erased it. While Christian and Miguel hailed cabs, Maria got the attention of Brittany and with a mischievous glint in her eyes whispered, "And that's how you tame a Lopez."

Soon enough the whole Lopez clan plus Brittany were all squeezed in a booth in the Russian Tea Room. Brittany was between Santana and Maria and since everyone was famished everyone was able to put in their order in record time.

Santana was talking and laughing with her siblings while Maria proudly showed her husband the playbill with the signatures of the whole cast. Brittany was content watching the family despite the slight ache in her chest thinking about her own family and how much she missed her own. She was sipping her wine when she felt Santana squeeze her hand under the table.

"Hey are you ok?" Santana who looked a little guilty for being caught up in her conversation with her brother and sister.

Brittany smiled, squeezed Santana's hand and said "I'm great, you don't have to worry about me, you just enjoy your family ok?". Santana returned her smile but before she can say anything, they heard Christian's teasing voice, "I have to say, I didn't think I'd live to see the day when the bad ass Santana Lopez turns into a blubbering mess of fluffiness and feelings."

"I know, I lost 50 bucks yesterday to Mom when she bet me that Brittany can get Santana to wear a lady liberty foam crown." Mikaela said joining in.

Santana was about to resort to her childish urge and smack her brother and sister when she felt Brittany's lips on her cheek and proceeded to nuzzle her neck and just like that her mind went blank. Santana was flustered at the gesture and forgot all about her annoying siblings. Christian was astonished at what he's seeing and looked at Mikaela with his mouth hanging open, Mikaela just shrugged and gave him a knowing smile.

Santana tried to distract herself from Brittany's hot breath on her neck by concentrating on sipping her wine. Maria and Miguel saw the whole thing and exchanged grins. The food arrived and everyone dived right in. After the initial bites everyone fell into small talk and Maria turned to Brittany.

I see you're already on your way in becoming a master of taming a Lopez." Maria said smiling at Brittany.

Brittany was flustered and answered, "I gotta say I learned from the best but I'm far from being a master."

"I'm so glad we got to meet you, I'm sure you're aware by now how guarded Santana is and seeing her loosen up is refreshing." Maria said to Brittany.

"She's wonderful." Was all Brittany could say.

Maria smiled when she heard Brittany's words and said, "She is, despite the scowls and the occasional bad attitude and I'm glad she met you. My daughter has had her fair share of heartache and seeing her with you makes me less anxious about her life here in New York. I guess when you're a parent you will always worry about your child even if you know that they can already fend for themselves and seeing the two of you assures me that my child is happy and well and that's all I can ask for." Maria finished off with a big smile.

"I'm lucky to have met your daughter too. She makes me happy." Brittany said meaning every word.

After their late dinner, the group found themselves in pairs waiting for cabs to take them home, Miguel and Maria had their arms wrapped around each other, Mikaela who looked like she was about to doze off was leaning on her brother. Santana and Brittany on the other hand were huddled close together, Brittany's arm was around Santana's waist while Santana leaned on her shoulder, both their body heat providing reprieve from the cold New York air.

"Thanks for coming tonight Britt and hanging out with my crazy family." Santana said silently wishing that this moment gets suspended in time so that she won't lose the feeling of Brittany's body perfectly molded to her.

"At least I got a free dinner out of it." Brittany said her voice tinged with humor.

"Well I'm pretty sure my parents will be willing to pay for dinner anytime you want since according to Mom you're saving them therapy money." Santana said unconsciously burrowing her head deeper in the blonde's neck inhaling Brittany's scent that she has grown accustomed to for the past few months. She could feel Brittany's body shake with giggles and couldn't help but join in. Their situation was strange at best, what started out as a charade, a masquerade was turning into something they both did not expect.

Santana reluctantly lifted her head from Brittany's shoulder and turned to face the girl. She reached out to a stray hair in Brittany's face and tucked it behind her ear before proceeding to cup Brittany's face.

"Hey." Santana said in almost a whisper.

"Hi." Brittany answered her blue eyes brighter than usual and a smile playing on her lips.

Santana smiled back and decided it was now or never, "I realized I haven't really formally asked you, it seems the timing was always off but just so there's no confusion, Brittany S. Pierce would you like to maybe go out on a date with me for real this time, without my family or your ex-girlfriend or Quinn and her midget. Like date date, we can go to dinner and a movie or maybe go out for drinks.." Santana rambled on growing embarrassed by the second.

Brittany chuckled at the sight of a stammering Santana and before another word comes out of Santana, Brittany leaned down and pressed their lips together for a brief kiss. Lifting her lips from Santana who has her eyes close, Brittany whispered with on her lips with a grin, "If I say yes will you shut up?"

Santana opened her eyes and was about to kiss Brittany to her for another kiss when she heard her brother wolf whistle. Santana turned her head to glare at her brother who was grinning like an idiot. She heard Brittany giggle and felt warm arms wrap around her pulling her close.

"You do realize that we've kissed like 5 times or more already and we have yet to go on a real date?" Brittany whispered in Santana's ear.

"Well you've been taking advantage of me every chance you get." Santana said playfully.

"Seeing that you easily get distracted when someone flirts with you, I had to remind you from time to time that you have a pseudo non girlfriend plus you've had your fair share of stealing kisses from me." Brittany retorted pulling back and looking at Santana's smiling face.

"So are you finally admitting the you were jealous earlier? Santana chided.

"Hmmm, maybe." Brittany said coyly pulling Santana in for another hug. It was crazy how addicting it is to hold Santana close.

Soon enough both of them reluctantly pulled away from each other when their cabs arrived.

"I hope you don't mind us stealing Santana away tonight, we need to make sure she shows up at her party tomorrow. I'm pretty sure you'll be having a private party after." Maria said winking at Brittany who promptly blushed at what Maria was implying.

"Mom! Just please stop talking!" Santana said horrified.

With her parents and Christian inside the cab and Mikaela waiting for her in another cab, Santana came up to Brittany and said "Are you sure you don't want us to drop you off?

Brittany nodded, "It's out of the way and I'll just see you tomorrow ok. I might be a little bit late but I'll be there." Brittany said squeezing Santana's hand.

"You better show up or I might be tempted to call Kate instead and have her pretend to be my girlfriend." Santana said teasing Brittany who pouted at the mention of Kate's name.

Instead of answering she pulled a surprised Santana in for a kiss, their lips molding against each other as the kiss became deeper and Brittany couldn't resist nipping Santana's lips. It took all of Brittany's willpower to pull away from Santana and with a smirk said, "Goodnight _baby." _ before getting inside another cab leaving Santana aching for more.

xx

Brittany was getting frustrated trying to find a cab that will take her to West 46th to Santana's birthday party. She was wearing a simple navy blue dress which showed off her long legs knowing Santana had this thing for them after catching the girl looking at her legs in more than one occasion. She was falling for Santana and falling fast, there was no use denying it. Finally she was able to get a cab and after giving the driver the address she settled in her seat and let her mind wander to Santana.

At exactly 12 am she sent Santana a message greeting her a happy birthday, this spawned a series of flirty text messages about their impending first official date between the two of them that went on until 2 am. Santana was the first to fall asleep because the next message she got from Santana was at 8 am in the morning complaining that Maria woke her up at an ungodly hour so that the whole family can have breakfast. The next messages was extremely sweet with Santana telling her that she already misses Brittany to which she replied that she's also missing Santana and that she should enjoy the day with her family and that they'll see each other later.

In no time at all, the cab stopped and Brittany paid for her fare and stepped out, smoothing her dress a little she took a deep breath and headed to the party.

Santana was trying hard to feign interest in the small talk around her especially the dwarf's voice who was talking a mile a minute with her mother. The truth was she was anxiously waiting for a certain blonde to arrive and she didn't feel like celebrating until she arrived. Santana knew she was in trouble, last night she had this goofy grin on her face when Brittany greeted her at exactly 12 am for her birthday. Mikaela ever the nosy sister pointed out that she looked like a complete idiot and that she had it bad for Brittany. As proof she even took a picture of Santana all giddy while reading a text message from Brittany.

She was playing with the straw in her drink when she suddenly felt lips almost grazing her ears.

'So is the birthday girl having fun?"Brittany whispered. Startled, Santana whipped around to see a grinning Brittany.

"Happy Birthday." Brittany said and handed Santana a heavy box with a white envelope on top. Santana was speechless for a moment and only found her voice after Brittany nudged her and said, "Come on open it."

"Thanks Britt." Santana with a huge grin in her face. She opened the envelope first and was delighted to see a membership card for the Museum of Modern Art. "I love it!" Santana said giving Brittany a quick hug.

"There's another one." Brittany said happy that Santana liked her gift. Santana carefully opened the package and inside was a book titled "The Letters of Van Gogh", Santana was smiling so much her jaw was aching. Using her free hand she pulled Brittany in for a small kiss. Santana saw Quinn's eyebrows arch opposite them but she didn't give a fuck, she was happy and that's all that matters.

After a brief introduction to some of Santana's friends who were all excited to finally meet Brittany, they ordered another round of drinks and soon enough most of Santana's friends and family were on the dance floor. Even the hobbit was dancing with her dad.

"Aren't you going to ask me to dance?" Brittany said teasing Santana.

"I thought I don't have the moves?" Santana answered cocking her eyebrows at Brittany. Brittany laughed and stood up pulling Santana with her.

"You'll do." she answered winking at Santana and pulling her to the dance floor. Just as they got to the dance floor the upbeat jazz music was replaced by a slower one that Santana recognized as an old song by Stevie Wonder, I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever). Shrugging off the sudden change in tempo, Brittany pulled Santana to her and placed her arms around Santana's waist. Santana hand no choice but to put her arms around Brittany's neck. Once their eyes met, it was as if everything melted away and all that matters was that they were in each other's arms.

The song picked up in tempo and with a wicked grin, Brittany took the lead and they swayed across the dance floor and after a twirl which ended up with both of them giggling, Brittany pulled Santana in closer burying her head in Santana's hair and inhaling her scent.

"You look beautiful." Brittany whispered in Santana's ear. Swallowing the lump in her throat, Santana whispered back "You look beautiful too."

Brittany smiled and tightened her grip on Santana, with her eyes close she started singing the lyrics to the song they are currently dancing to.

_I __believe when I fall in love this time it will be forever_

_I believe when I fall in love with you it will be forever_

Santana smiled and welcomed the feeling of Brittany's skin against her. The song ended but they were still in each other's arms and were only interrupted when Miguel cleared his throat and both girls looked up to see him grinning at them.

"Mind if I steal your girl for a dance?" Miguel said holding out his hand Santana while looking at Brittany.

"Of course." Brittany answered and placed a kiss on Santana's cheek before heading back to their table.

Miguel did a quick waltz with Santana which made her daughter giggle like a 5 year old. He smiled and said "Are you enjoying yourself sweetheart?"

"Yes Daddy, thank you for coming here." Santana answered.

"Why do I get the feeling that you would still be happy even if we didn't show up here in New York just as long as a certain blonde celebrates your birthday with you." Miguel said teasing her blushing daughter.

"Of course not Dad, you know I always miss you guys even if Mom drives me crazy most of the time." Santana said defensively. Miguel chuckled and said "Just as long as you're happy sweetheart."

Brittany was nursing her drink while looking at Santana dancing with her father and the familiar ache of missing her family started making it's way into her chest. Her reverie was interrupted when Christian handed her a refill for her drink.

"Hi, thought you needed a refill." Christian said sitting beside Brittany.

Brittany gave him a small smile and said, "Thanks."

"So I'm the big brother so I feel that it is my duty to threaten you with the standard warning we give to people dating their sister." Christian said mischievously. When Brittany gave him a puzzled look he said " You know, hurt my little sister and I'll make sure you regret the day you were born."

Brittany laughed but after a few seconds she turned to Christian to look him in the eye and said, "I promise to make sure that your sister is happy."

"Good and I don't think you'll have a problem with making her happy. Before you arrived I was pretty sure that she was going to bail on us but when she saw you, I could safely say that it scared me to see my sister smile like that since the last time she did, she was ratting me out to Mom telling her I was skipping classes and I got grounded for 2 months. So I think you're good." Christian said grinning at Brittany who laughed at his story.

"Ok so we have a deal ok? Keep her happy that's all I want." Christian added holding out his hand to Brittany so they can shake on it. Christian was then pulled by Maria for a dance while Quinn made her way to Brittany.

Quinn cleared her throat after taking a sip of her drink and stated, "So you and Santana." Brittany felt a blush creep in her face and answered in a small voice "Yeah, it just kind of happened."

"Well I can't say I wasn't expecting it." Quinn said a sly smile playing on her lips.

"It's still weird that people thinks we are already dating when we haven't had our first official date yet but I like being with her and we've kissed a few times. She's funny and gorgeous and she looks at me as if I'm the only thing that matters in the entire world." Brittany said smiling shyly at her friend.

"You're good for each other and I for one couldn't be happier, the name calling lessened since she walks around with his dopey grin on her face and I can tell she make you happy too." Quinn said smiling at Brittany.

Their conversation was cut short with the arrival of Rachel who came to dance with her girlfriend and shortly after Santana appeared and pulled Brittany to the dance floor.

xx

Brittany and Santana found themselves walking quietly with their hands intertwined after the party which was a success. They danced the whole night together except for a few instances when her Dad, brother and other friends would steal one of them for a few songs, they somehow manage to find their way back to each other. When it was time to go home Brittany insisted on taking Santana home since Quinn was staying over at Rachel. After saying their goodbyes to her family and getting a wink from Maria, Brittany wordlessly took Santana's hand and led her home.

Once they got to Santana's apartment, Santana looked at Brittany shyly and said, "Do you want to go upstairs?"

Brittany shook her head and cupping Santana's face said "I want to but not right now, I want to do this right." Santana smiled at her and leaned in for a kiss but before their lips could touch, they heard someone clear their throat.

"Santana?" someone said and Santana froze when heard the familiar voice. Brittany was confused on where the voice came from but was surprised when out of the shadows a girl with dark hair and sad eyes made her way to Santana.

Santana dropped Brittany's hand and her heart was racing a mile a minute. Her throat was suddenly dry and all she managed to say was,

"Allison?"

**A/N - Please don't kill me for the cliffhanger.**

I


	16. Chapter 16

_Thank you for the threats, faves, alerts and the insane amount of reviews I got last chapter! _

_Thanks to the awesome BrSoccerChic for volunteering to be my beta._

_I appreciate any review. I don't own anything._

Chapter 16

The second Santana's hand left Brittany's a feeling of dread overcame her. She could see Santana standing still, her usual soft brown eyes were darker, a storm of emotions playing behind the brown pools. She felt like an intruder in a standoff between Santana and Allison.

Santana felt numb as she stared into familiar green eyes that seemed duller from what she remembered. She has been tortured by those bright green eyes for far too long to notice the difference.

After what felt like an eternity, Santana finally found her voice and said, "What are you doing here Allison?"

Allison finally broke the eye contact and stared at the ground and in a small voice said "It's your birthday and I just wanted to see you and say it in person."

Santana wanted to laugh out loud at the declaration but something about the way Allison looked stopped her, she looks so broken and lost and a long forgotten need to comfort her slowly creeps into Santana.

"San?" Brittany's voice broke through the haze in Santana's mind and Santana turned to face Brittany, an unmistakable sadness evident in her eyes.

Brittany's heart clenched at the sight and she wanted nothing more than to take Santana in her arms and wipe away the pain she knew Santana was feeling but she stayed rooted to her spot, feeling Allison's presence more than ever, as if the mere presence of the girl was slowly driving a wedge between her and Santana.

"Britt, I.." Santana started but not really sure what to say of the situation they found themselves in.

"Santana, I need to go. We'll talk soon ok?" Brittany said, squeezing Santana's hand. Santana just nodded, she wanted to scream out and tell Brittany to stay but Allison's gaze weighed down heavily on her. She watched Brittany's retreating figure helplessly, wanting so much to run after her but her feet were refusing to budge.

"Is she.." Allison said quietly letting the question hang in the air.

Instead of answering, Santana repeated her question, "What are you doing here?" Santana said her voice tinged with controlled anger.

Allison winced at the obvious contempt in Santana's voice and answered "It was your birthday and.." She was cut off by Santana, who by then couldn't control the slew of emotions assaulting her.

"Cut the crap Allison, don't you think you're two years late?" Santana said, this time the anger in her voice was unmistakable.

"I'm sorry Santana, I can't undo what happened but I'm here now to ask you for another chance." Allison said, her green eyes pleading.

Santana can hear the desperation in her voice and she suddenly felt tired. The whirlwind of emotions was proving too much for her and she felt disoriented with the sudden turn of events, everything was happening too fast.

"I have to go." Santana said her voice almost a whisper. She started walking towards the door of the building not looking at Allison. After a few steps she felt Allison's hand on her arm, the action surprising Santana.

"Santana please." Allison begged. Santana stopped and looked at Allison, she tried to think of something to say but her mind was still spinning and coherent thoughts were eluding her. Allison took advantage of the silence and said, "Just at least give me a chance to explain, I'm staying at the Pearl Hotel on West 49th. I'll be there until Monday, please Santana, all I'm asking is for you to hear me out." Santana broke the stare and Allison had no choice but to let go of Santana's arm and watch until she was inside the building, leaving Allison alone and shivering in the cold New York night.

xx

Brittany wasn't sure how she arrived at her apartment, she was in a daze after what happened. She remembered how happy she was earlier with Santana and how she was looking forward to finally going on an official date with her, without pretenses this time, the two of them taking a chance on each other. Her eyes burned with unshed tears and her head hurt from all the emotions she was trying to keep in check. When she saw Allison, she saw the determination in the other girl's eyes and she knew immediately that she would do anything to get Santana back. Her Santana, or at least she thought. She went into her room and saw the stuffed panda that Santana gave her, and this time she choked back a sob. The funny thing was she fought her growing attraction to Santana for too long, and when she finally gave in this happened. She would laugh if the whole thing wasn't so sad, they were so close yet so damn far. After changing into her pajamas Brittany went to her bed and lied down. She brushed away the tear that fell involuntarily from her eyes. She reached for her phone despite the twinge of pain in her heart when she remembered that only yesterday she was giddy with happiness exchanging flirty text messages with Santana. Instead of finding a message she saw several missed calls from her sister and a voicemail. She sat up, her heart racing, and pressed the voicemail button on her phone. Her mind went blank when she heard her sister's voice, clearly trying to hold back tears.

"Britt, Dad had a heart attack…"

xx

Santana dragged her feet to her apartment, trying not to think about the girl outside or the other girl who walked away. She just wanted to crawl into her bed and forget everything. A permanent ache had managed to lodge itself in her chest. She remembered all those times when she would play out the various scenarios in her head when she saw Allison again and how she let her broken heart drive her life for years, hating her and loving her at the same time and now she's back just when she was about to take a chance again. Then there was Brittany who came out of the blue making her feel things she had tried to bury in the deepest recess of her soul when she got hurt. Her empty apartment was almost mocking her, as if mirroring the somewhat empty life she has been living all these years, telling herself that she was fine, not letting people in because they just screw her up. She missed Quinn's presence more than ever, silently cursing the dwarf for stealing her friend away, especially during moments like this. Not bothering to change out of her clothes she crawled into bed wishing that sleep would provide the much needed reprieve from her day. She groaned when she felt a lump on her bed preventing her from lying flat. Reaching for the offending item, she smiled sadly when she saw that it was Miss Waddles.

"My life's a fuck up isn't it?" Santana said, directing the question to Miss Waddles. Realizing that she was talking to an inanimate object she groaned and buried her face in her pillow.

"And probably going a little crazy too." Santana added. With a sigh she turned off the bedside lamp still clutching Miss Waddles and the weight of the roller coaster of emotions finally took its toll and she fell into an uneasy sleep, haunted by blue eyed blondes and sad green eyes.

xx

Santana woke up feeling tired even after a full night of sleep, and then everything that happened the night before hit her and she sighed. She reluctantly got out of bed and threw on her sweats with the intention of drowning her sorrows in a tub of ben and jerry's on a freaking Sunday morning. Looking miserable, she padded out of her room and missed Quinn who was having coffee and reading The New Yorker. Oblivious to her roommate's presence, Santana went straight to the fridge to get her emergency stash of New York Super Fudge Chunk.

Behind her Quinn was watching her friend with interest. Clearing her throat she asked "Rough night?". Santana was startled by Quinn's voice and when she turned around she saw that Quinn had an amused expression on her face while looking at the obviously distressed Santana and the ice cream in her hand.

"Fuck Fabgay, you scared the shit out of me." Santana said, scowling at Quinn who was now giving Santana her full attention.

With her eyebrows raised, Quinn said, "What's with the ice cream at 9 AM? Did it finally hit you that you're turning into an old woman soon?"

"No, I realized that my roommate might be a psycho and is really into weird kinky stuff like say fornicating with a hobbit who was kicked out of the Shire because of her impossibly loud mouth." Santana answered giving Quinn a sickeningly sweet smile, who in turn gave Santana the finger. Santana felt a small sense of accomplishment at managing to piss Quinn off so early in the morning. She sat down next to Quinn, scooped up a generous amount of ice cream and shoved it in her mouth.

After the effects of the massive brain freeze she got from the ice cream, Santana in a barely audible voice said, "She's back, Quinn."

Quinn looked up from reading The New Yorker to look at Santana and said, "Who's back?"

"Allison, she was waiting for me after the party yesterday."

To say that Quinn was shocked was an understatement. She stared at Santana, who was hunched up looking miserable avoiding her friend's eyes. Quinn didn't know what to say so instead she reached out and grabbed the ice cream and spoon from Santana, who felt Quinn tugging the ice cream from her hand. Santana finally looked up at Quinn, who was now thoughtfully eating her ice cream. After swallowing, Quinn looked at Santana and said with concern evident in her eyes, "What did she want?"

xx

After talking to her sister on the phone she called every airline possible to see if there were any flights to Chicago at that hour but the earliest flight she could get was at 7 AM. She didn't even know what she threw in her suitcase, her brain was on autopilot and the only thing running through her head was that she needed to get to Chicago as soon as possible. She didn't even attempt to sleep, instead she went straight to the airport 3 hours before her flight and consumed an insane amount of caffeine, which she regretted later since it just made her more anxious. At 6:00 AM, with her anxiety levels off the charts, she fished her phone out of her pocket to check if her sister had called. Bill, her brother in law, was picking her up at the airport later and they were heading straight to the hospital. Her sister said that their father was stable and they were waiting for the results of the tests they ran on him earlier. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that her sister hadn't tried to contact her, meaning that there were no changes to her Dad's condition. She stared at her phone, her fingers itching to call Santana or Quinn and have a good cry but she remembered what happened with Allison and Santana, and instead she sent off a text message to Mike to explain the situation.

The flight to Chicago was the longest 2 hours in Brittany's life and when the plane finally landed she was the first to get out of the plane. It didn't take long for her to see Bill, who immediately spotted Brittany. Bill gave Brittany a hug and said without being asked, "He's doing good." Brittany bit her lip and let a few tears slip from her eyes. She didn't answer, fearing that she might break down. Bill gave her a sad smile and squeezed her hand.

"Come on, your mom and sister are waiting for you." Bill said, leading Brittany outside the airport.

xx

"Ok tell me again what she said?" Quinn asked while pacing the living room.

"She said she's sorry and she wants another chance." Santana said for the nth time, her annoyance growing by the second.

"She has some nerve, she's two years late, did you tell her that?" Quinn asked again.

"Yes I did!" Santana answered with a scowl on her face, this time her annoyance was visible. Quinn just huffed when she heard the change in Santana's tone.

Quinn stopped pacing and looked at Santana in the eye, "Do you want her back?" Quinn asked daring Santana to answer.

"Fuck Quinn I'm still processing the fact that I saw her again after she fucking crushed my heart two years ago." Santana said miserably.

"What about Brittany?" Quinn asked, resuming her pace around the living room.

"What about her?" Santana answered, her tone now reserved.

"I know for a fact that you asked her out and it's hard to miss the kisses you were exchanging the whole night." Quinn said, sneering at Santana. When Santana didn't answer, Quinn added, "Don't fucking tell me you were just stringing her along because I will personally maim and torture you by having Rachel move in and you know she sings the whole soundtrack of Wicked before lunchtime."

Santana winced at the image of waking up to Ding Dong the Witch is Dead, she's sure she would be committing murder within an hour if that happened. She was about to say something obnoxious to Quinn when her phone beeped. Santana read the text message and exclaimed, "Fuck I totally forgot I'm having lunch with my Dad." She stood up to take a quick shower but not before hearing Quinn say, "We're not through talking about this, Santana."

xx

Brittany hurried through the hospital corridor and finally saw her sister and mother in the waiting room of the ICU. They both looked up when they sensed her presence and Brittany was suddenly enveloped in a 3 way hug and she finally let out the sob that she realized she had been holding ever since she found out about the heart attack. After they disentangled, her sister went on to catch her up on what happened while her mother clutched her hand, whatever silent animosity they had between them didn't seem to matter now, Brittany just nodded along to whatever her sister was saying, the only thing that was important right then was that her Dad was stable and that as soon as he got better he needed to have a bypass surgery.

After what felt like an eternity they were finally allowed inside the ICU. Since guests were only allowed one at a time, they let Brittany see him first.

"Remember not to let him see you cry Britt, he needs to see us strong ok?" Her sister Anne said, to which Brittany only nodded in return. It took all of her willpower not to break down when she finally saw her Dad. There were countless wires and scary looking machines attached to him, she gave him a strained smiled instead.

"Hi Daddy." Brittany said taking her father's hand.

Her father gave her a weak smile and answered, "Hi baby girl. I probably look like shit huh?"

Brittany half giggled and half sobbed hearing her father speak. Whatever issues she might have had with her parents, they were and always will be her parents. Her dad, who taught her how to ride a bike and who brought her ice cream to make her feel better when the kids at school teased her for being too tall.

xx

Meanwhile back in Manhattan, Miguel eyed his daughter suspiciously while they shared the cheesecake he ordered for dessert. She had been unusually quiet during lunch, only talking when he asked her a question. Out of all his three children, he knew that Santana took after him most with a dash of her mother's sass. He immediately sensed that her mind was elsewhere when she let him order a big fat juicy steak for lunch. Santana would usually protest and threaten to tell her mother that he wasn't watching what he ate, which is why he was surprised when she didn't bat an eyelash when he ordered extra gravy. He decided to wait it out knowing that like him, his middle child retreats back to her shell when confronted so it was best to wait it out.

After a brief struggle over who got to pay the bill, Miguel managed to wrangle the bill out of Santana's hand stating that he doesn't get to spoil her much. They left the restaurant and Miguel tugged his daughter's hand and said, "Let's walk around, I need to sweat out that insanely sinful steak I just ate."

Father and daughter walked silently and when they got to Central Park, Miguel saw the entrance to Strawberry Fields and being a Beatles fanboy pointed it out to Santana who was still deep in thought. They entered and sat on a bench while watching a bunch people take pictures of the mosaic with the words Imagine in the middle. Some were even leaving flowers and a guy with a guitar started playing Real Love. Both father and daughter clapped their hands when the song finished. Miguel looked at his daughter and said quietly, "Want to talk about it honey?"

Santana looked at her father and saw concern in his eyes. Clearing her throat she knew she couldn't lie to her dad and Santana managed to find her voice and said, "Last night after the party, I found Allison waiting for me at the apartment."

Miguel looked confused for a moment trying to place an Allison on his memory and a depressed Santana flitted through his mind and that's when realization hit him. Concern for his daughter shone through his eyes and he scooted closer and put his arms around her.

"And how do you feel about that?" He asked gently.

"I don't know Daddy, for 2 years I secretly wished that she'd do just that, show up out of the blue and beg me to take her back. But when she showed up yesterday I just wanted to run away." Santana said, her voice tinged with sadness.

"Sometimes in life we find out that what we wish for and reality are two very different things." Miguel said to his daughter.

"Seeing her again made me think of all those times when we were together and how happy and miserable I was during those times and it messes me up." Santana said, sounding frustrated.

Miguel sighed and forced his daughter to look at him in the eyes, "Honey you know that loving someone isn't supposed to make you feel miserable or bad about yourself. Sure there will be times when you don't see eye to eye or when they annoy the hell out of you." Miguel said, satisfied that he was able to coax a smile out of his daughter.

"But you know that at the end of the day that person will always be your biggest fan and that you're a better person because of them." Miguel said smiling at her daughter.

"When she left me I thought that was it, you know? That I'd never feel that way again and people are just out to screw me up if they get too close." Santana said.

"Honey, just because it rained doesn't mean the sun is not there. You cannot let what happened to you define your life and how you view other people." Miguel said.

Santana looked at the ground contemplating her father's words and with a sigh said, "And then there's Brittany." Miguel didn't say anything, letting the silence urge his daughter to speak.

"Let's just say that we are in a very unusual situation and that every time we spend some time together she makes me want all those things I thought I'd lost when Allison left." Santana said, choosing her words carefully not wanting her father to know how Brittany came into her life.

"But Allison, I walked in the rain for her Daddy, to give her a stupid gift." Santana added bitterly.

"Santana, walking in the rain for someone only means that you're exposing yourself to pneumonia. If you ask me, I'd prefer someone who will nurse me back to health." Miguel said giving his daughter a wink.

"Come on, Christian is probably going crazy since I left him with your Mom and sister." Miguel said offering his arms to his daughter. He gave his daughter a kiss on the forehead as she snuggled up to him. He chuckled at the gesture, she will always be his little girl.

They started walking back to the hotel when Santana suddenly asked him, "Dad, so what's the secret of your relationship with Mom? Do you still love her as much when you first met her?"

"If I tell you I'd probably have to pay for therapy." Miguel said jokingly.

"Ewwww Dad I don't want to hear about how we were conceived." Santana said horrified. Miguel laughed at his shocked daughter.

"It's really simple honey, everyday I wake up and I choose to be with your Mom no matter what because I love her more than ever and I'm pretty sure she chooses to be with me too. I believe the best kind of love isn't always the most passionate, it's the one that makes you calm and the one that makes you excited to go home just because that person will be there waiting for you." Miguel said smiling at his daughter.

xx

Santana paced back and forth outside the door, trying to calm down her nerves, she knew that she was waiting for her. With a final sigh to gather her strength she knocked on the door and heard footsteps inside the room. Finally the lock clicked and sad green eyes met brown.

Santana took a deep breath and said "Hi, can we talk?"


	17. Chapter 17

Thank you for the threats, faves, alerts and reviews! _Apologies for any spelling, grammar and any other mistakes you might find._

I appreciate any review. I don't own anything.

superpharmacist21 - I guess the shit was well deserved =P

Jac Lag - Totally jealous of your nice long holiday, thanks for your kind words and sorry for the cliffhangers.

Andalsoangels - please don't go all Lima Heights on me

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fightingmonkeys - Team Brittany all the way!

gotlovetokill - and now I present you Allison

iamirreplazable - sorry about that cliffhanger

LelaKJviking - I wasn't joking about the threats =D

Lanter - please don't throttle Allison I think a little threat (plus a few curse words) would suffice

CalmingBlue - sorry for the wait =D

HeYa-GLeeK12 - I actually hate cliffhangers especially as a reader and I'm really sorry about the last two. I hope this chapter makes up for it

ggbonzz - thanks sorry for that cliffhanger.

Taylor Hubbel - ok, I'm a little afraid of you, sorry about the cliffhanger =P

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The Swede - Drama indeed!

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SanBClause - Thank you! I saw that part posted in Tumblr and I'm really, really flattered

Snowhite12 - sorry for the slip up in the song

catherine504 - hope you like this chapter

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lionquinn - 2 reviews in 1 chapter thanks! here's chapter 17 =D

anonymous - sorry for that cliffhanger

Chapter 17

Brittany went to the hospital cafeteria while her mom and sister took turns to see her dad where she bought 3 cups of coffee and cinnamon rolls. She realized she hasn't eaten anything since Santana's party last night except for the 2 cups of coffee in the airport. She pushed all thoughts of Santana out of her mind and she felt like everything that happened has just been a dream. However she couldn't help sneaking a look at her cellphone to see if anyone, particularly a certain brunette, has tried to contact her. She couldn't help the disappointment she felt when she didn't find any messages or missed calls.

She walked back to the waiting area and silently handed her mom and sister the coffee and pastries . Both women thanked Brittany and they all sat down and silently sipped from their cups while they played the waiting for her father's attending physician who was currently inside the ICU with his father. After a few more minutes a middle aged man in a white coat with kind baby blue eyes made his way to her mother who stood up to greet the doctor. Both Brittany and Anne got off their seats to get closer to their mother. Her mother introduced Brittany to Dr. Fuller and he explained that her father was doing good and he will be transferred to a regular room later. He should be home in 2 days and once he's strong enough he needs to undergo a triple bypass surgery since it's already too late for an angioplasty.

"Jack needs plenty of rest so he can regain his strength to ready his body for the surgery." Dr. Fuller said

Relief washed over the three women 3 women when they heard the news and they all thanked Dr. Fuller who excused himself to attend to his other patients.. After hearing his father was going to be fine, Brittany suddenly felt tired. She has been awake for more than 24 hours and the adrenaline coupled with the caffeine was already wearing off. She tried unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn and she looked up with tired eyes when she felt her mother's hand on her back. When she looked up she saw concern in her mom's blue eyes identical to her own.

"You should go home with your sister to get some rest honey. I'll hold the fort for now." Her mother said smiling at her daughter. Brittany was about to protest but another yawn made its way and she had no choice but to nod her assent.

After an hour, her sister was opening the door to her house with Brittany behind her. Bill took their son to his mother for the day while he went to work and Brittany was a bit disappointed that she didn't get to see her nephew. Anne showed her the guest room and she didn't even bother changing out of her clothes, Brittany just flopped down the bed and within a few minutes Brittany was asleep.

xx

Allison opened the door to her hotel room to let Santana in. Once both of them were inside she turned to face Santana who had her head down and looked uncomfortable.

"Please sit down." Allison said sheepishly.

Santana immediately took a seat in a small chair in the vanity table and Allison sat in the bed opposite Santana.

Santana took a deep breath and looked at Allison in the eye. It was now or never.

"You said you wanted to talk, so here I am." Santana said in a surprisingly calm voice.

Allison felt the nerves grating on her insides at being this close to Santana again. After seeing her with the blonde yesterday she didn't think that she'd actually show up. After clearing her throat she started talking.

"I…I was serious when I said I wanted another chance."

Santana was about to say something when Allison cut her off, "I know I'm 2 years late Santana but I'm here now." Allison said her voice pleading.

"What happened that day? I waited for you for 14 fucking hours Allison." Santana said this time the anger was evident in her voice.

"I wanted to go, please believe me Santana. I even packed my things the night before. But while waiting for the train that would take me to Bryant Park I got scared and thought about all the things I was giving up and I couldn't bring myself to board the train. I was young and stupid and scared and I let all my fears take over me." Allison said bitterly.

"What about the gifts and letters Allison?" Santana demanded remembering the desperation she felt that day while holding all the things she gave Allison over the years.

Allison bowed her head when she heard the question, not wanting to see the anger she was sure was in Santana's eyes and instead of answering the question she continued her story.

"I left the subway and rented a hotel room thinking I'd summon the courage to meet you if I just had time to think. But all the doubts were just too much. I..I thought about how I want to have kids and that it was impossible for us to conceive a child without using a donor and how my parents will be disappointed when they find out I ran away with you. In the end I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I went to your apartment early in the morning the following day and I paid this guy to deliver all the stuff you gave me. I wanted to write a note to explain but I didn't know what to say." Allison said feeling ashamed of her actions 2 years ago.

"What changed Allison? Why are you here now telling me all these things?" Santana said in a much calmer voice.

"I thought about you everyday Santana and I cried the night before my wedding not because I was happy but because I knew I was lying to myself and I was about to promise forever to a person I was only pretending to love." Allison answered silent tears now falling from her eyes.

Santana's eyes involuntarily traveled to Allison's ring finger and the action did not go unnoticed by the other girl. Allison held up her left hand to give Santana a better look.

"He was having an affair with an old girlfriend and who could blame him, I wasn't exactly the loving wife he expected." Allison said with a bitter smile.

Allison took a deep breath and looked at Santana in the eye, "A second chance Santana that's all I'm asking." Allison said and Santana could hear the determination in her voice. Allison reached out for Santana's hand and was relieved when Santana didn't pull away.

"Ally.." Santana said not breaking eye contact.

xx

Brittany woke up after 5 hours and felt thoroughly refreshed all she needed now is a shower and solid food and she's ready to go back to the hospital. She opened the door to the guest room and squealed in delight when she saw her sister holding her nephew.

Her sister smiled and handed her Andrew her nephew who was looking at her with curious blue eyes.

"Hey there little man, you've gotten so big already." Brittany said nuzzling her nephew and reveling in the addictive baby scent.

"Britt, there's food in the stove, you must be starving." Anne said to her sister.

"Thanks Anne." Brittany answered handing Andrew back to his mother but not before giving him a sloppy kiss on the cheek which made him giggle.

After getting a plate of meatloaf Brittany sat down in the dining table where she was joined by her sister who gave Andrew to Bill so she can talk to her sister.

"How are you holding up?" Her sister asked.

"I'm just glad he's okay." Brittany answered.

"They miss you a lot you know. Last Thanksgiving Mom and Dad were sad that you didn't come." Her sister said in a gentle voice and when Brittany didn't answer she continued, "It's taking them longer to get used to the fact that you're gay Britt, but they love you all the same and you know that me, Bill and Andrew love you."

"I love all of you Anne, I'm also to blame for the state of my relationship with Mom and Dad, I was running away instead of helping them understand who I am." Brittany said sadly.

Anne took Brittany's hand and squeezed it, "Maybe that's the silver lining in all of this Britt, that you'll finally be able tear down that invisible wall between you and Mom and Dad."

"I hope so Anne." Brittany said giving her sister a small smile.

xx

"I'm ready to be with you Santana." Allison said her voice firm and her eyes pleading.

"I wanted to hate you and I probably did at some point in time. Most of the time I just missed you and I would think about all those crazy times we had in college how we would go from cold to passionate in a matter of seconds, how we fought and made up millions of times. I secretly wished that you'd show up out of the blue and tell me all these things you're saying right now but I'm looking at you right now and all I see is this girl from college who's afraid to accept who she is. I put your feelings and happiness ahead of mine even when I felt that I was slowly losing myself in the process." Santana said her brown eyes unreadable.

"I just want you Santana and I know how much you loved me before. Just please give me another chance. I'm sorry for all the stupid things I did to hurt you but I'm here now." Allison said vehemently.

Allison then pulled in Santana for a desperate kiss which shocked Santana who pulled back once she got over the surprise.

"Allison." Santana said pulling away from the girl opposite her who had tears brimming from her green eyes.

Santana swallowed the lump in her throat and continued, "I should be jumping for joy right now hearing you say those words that I desperately needed to hear before but all that's going through my head right now is how every moment I spent here means that I might be losing my chance to be with this wonderful person and I'm scared as hell that after last night I might lose her."

Allison winced at Santana's words and this time the tears are flowing freely from her eyes.

"Is..is it the girl from yesterday?" Allison asked fighting hard to choke back a sob.

"Her name is Brittany." Santana said giving Allison a sad smile.

"So you're choosing her over me." Allison said her words sounding like a statement instead of a question.

Santana looked at Allison in the eye and said, "I don't think there was a choice in the first place because I can't imagine myself being with someone else other than her."

Allison returned Santana's gaze and in a defiant tone said, "How do you explain this Santana? Why am I here now? This must mean something."

"I realize it now, why I wanted to see you again and why I sometimes look for you in a crowd, I thought I wanted you back but all I wanted all along was a chance to say a proper goodbye because you did mean something to me Ally. I did love you, with everything I had before. What we had will always be special Ally and I'll never regret meeting you because those years will always belong to us." Santana said cupping Allison face and wiping the tears falling from her eyes, she then placed a tender kiss on Allison's forehead and whispered "Goodbye Ally." Santana then stood up and headed towards the door without looking back.

xx

After reassuring her Mom over and over again that she will be fine watching her father while her Mom got some rest, Brittany found herself absentmindedly flicking through an old magazine while her father sleeps. He looks a lot better and the fact that he is out of the ICU helps calm Brittany's nerves.

She felt her father stir and smiled when she was met with his father's warm grey ones.

"Daddy do you need anything?" Brittany asked standing up from the uncomfortable chair she was sitting on to get closer to her father.

"Hi honey, do you mind getting me some water?" Her father asked and Brittany obliged by letting him sip water from a cup using a straw.

"Where's Mom?" Her father asked after having his fill of water.

"She went home to rest, I had to assure her that you'll be fine so dad please, don't have another heart attack while she's gone." Brittany said half pleading half joking with her father.

'I'll try honey." Her father said chuckling and Brittany smiled upon hearing his father laugh. Brittany fussed over his father arranging his pillows and sheets.

"You're worse than your Mom." Her father added amused at his daughter. When Brittany did not stop fluffing his pillows he reached out and took his daughter's hand and forced her to sit down.

"How's New York honey? I heard you're doing Broadway now and teaching. Your Mom and I we were talking about spending Christmas with you in New York and to watch you perform of course." Jack said smiling at his daughter.

Brittany grinned at his father's words and answered, "As soon as you get better Daddy, I'll give you front row seats."

"I'll hold you to that." Jack said

"Are you happy honey?" He asked this time his tone was serious. Brittany thought for a while before answering, "Yeah, I like being in New York, I had my fair share of struggles but I'm finally doing what I love to do."

"That's good to hear honey. We worry about you a lot you know but we know how talented you are and we have no doubts whatsoever that you'll get to live out all your dreams."

"Thanks Dad." Brittany said beaming at her father.

"And is there someone special in your life right now?" Jack asked casually

Brittany smile faltered and she quietly said, "Dad.."

Her father sighed and said "Brittany, I know we failed to give you all the support you need when you told us you were gay and you don't know how much we regret that. And it got worse, everyday the walls between us keeps getting higher and higher and we were at a loss on how to reach out to you. You don't know how sorry I am for the way things turned out between us but we can fix this honey and it doesn't matter who you love because all that matters is that we love you for who you are and we want to be a part of every aspect of your life."

Brittany couldn't stop the tears from falling from her eyes and she tried her best to give her father a hug without pulling out any wires of the machines attached to him. Her dad laughed at the gesture and pulled Brittany away from him to get a good look at his beautiful daughter and Brittany saw that her Dad was also fighting back tears. They both laughed and wiped each other's tears, Brittany then gave his Dad a kiss on the cheeks and sat down, her smile not leaving her face.

Jack tugged at her daughters hand and when Brittany looked up she saw a small smile playing on his lips.

"You didn't answer my question young lady, is there someone special in your life?" He asked looking at his daughter in the eye.

Brittany couldn't help the sad smile that graced her face at her father's question. Her thoughts immediately went to Santana and she felt a dull ache in her chest thinking about the girl. A mental image of Santana with Allison flitted through her mind and she felt her heart break a little.

"It's a long and complicated story Dad." Brittany said sadly to her father

"Well it's not like I'm going anywhere Brittany." Jack said squeezing her daughter's hand.

"Let's start at the beginning." He added giving his daughter an encouraging smile.

xx

Santana made her way back to her apartment with one thought on her head, Brittany. She needed to regroup and plan on what she's going to say to Brittany. She was sure that she has managed to hurt her yesterday and she needed to tell her that she came to see Allison and it didn't matter because she wants to be with Brittany if she'll have her.

She regretted bringing her stupid car and she was now stuck in traffic, she contemplated heading straight to Brittany's apartment but she was afraid that she'll be a bundle of nerves and end up saying the wrong things.

When she finally arrived at the apartment, Santana was extremely hungry and pissed off since it took her an hour drive from the hotel to the apartment. She hoped that Quinn was not with the gnome and that she has whipped up something edible. All the emotional turmoil of the past 24 hours must have finally taken a toll and she could literally eat a whole turkey.

Inside the apartment she saw Quinn and Rachel cuddling in the couch and said "Ah, so you decided to bring your little troll in our house."

Rachel shot her a murderous look and held out 3 fingers to Quinn who promptly said "Two more and you'll be wrapping all our gifts for Christmas and Hanukkah."

Santana just rolled her eyes went to the kitchen to scrounge for food. She was delighted when the smell of food filled her senses. "Quinn, do you mind if I eat some of the pasta?" Santana yelled from the kitchen.

"Knock yourself out and the meatballs in the blue plate are vegan, the regular ones are in the pot." Quinn yelled back

Santana fake gagged and dropped the infamous meatless meatballs back in the plate and got 2 pieces of the real meatballs from the pot. She was about to take her first bite when she heard Quinn shout from the living room.

"Get your ass here Lopez, we're not done talking."

Santana rolled her eyes and headed to the living room with plate in hand.

"What's your problem Quinn?" Santana said with a sneer.

With raised eyebrows Quinn started her rant, "Don't fuck with me Santana. What's up with the whole Allison business? Did you see her and tell her to shove it up her a.."

"Quinn! You are such a potty mouth!" Rachel interjected.

Santana smirked at Quinn who glared back at her.

"So?" Quinn insisted. Santana chewed thoughtfully wanting to test Quinn's patience. In the end it was Rachel who finally gave in.

"For God's sake Santana spill it out!"

"Ok, ok, no need to get your midget panties in a twist." Santana said laughing.

"I had lunch with my dad earlier and we had this delightful cheesecake for dessert." Santana said teasing the two girls which earned her the finger from Quinn.

"Fine I went to Allison's hotel after." Santana said nonchalantly taking another bite of her pasta.

Quinn almost growled when said "Don't fucking tell me you had sex with her Santana?" while Rachel gave Santana an indignant.

"Relax Quinn, we just talked about what happened before. Both of you have so little faith in me." Santana said pretending to be hurt by the accusation.

"Are you two back together?" Rachel prodded.

Santana put down her plate and looked at the girls in front of her who were waiting for her answer.

"She wanted another chance but I realized that the real reason I came there was to say goodbye. We had all this history together and it seemed appropriate to end things as adults, to give it closure." Santana said her tone now serious.

Both Quinn and Rachel fell silent upon hearing Santana's words. Santana broke the silence by saying, "And then there's Brittany." Quinn raised her eyebrows she heard Santana while Rachel was looking expectantly waiting for Santana to continue.

Santana felt the pressure so she bowed her head to avoid eye contact with her friends, she took a deep breath and said, "I want to be with her." She then looked up at a smiling Quinn and Rachel who was clearly trying to contain her excitement at what she was hearing. Santana slowly let out a huge smile and said, "I want to be with Brittany."

xx

Brittany told her father about Santana, glossing over some of the details that she was sure would make her father cringe like the charade and lying to Santana's parents.

"So what are you planning to do?" Jack asked her daughter who just shrugged.

"You're not going to do anything?" He added.

"The love of her life came back Dad I don't think I have much choice." Brittany said sadly.

Jack straightened up to look at her daughter in the eye. "Ok first of all you're not sure that this girl really is the love of Santana's life. Has Santana tried to contact you at all?"

When Brittany heard what her father said she reached into the pocket of her jeans and was disappointed when she saw that her phone was dead.

"Maybe she has been trying call." Her father stated and Brittany just shrugged.

"Ok next option is to fight for her." Jack said at his daughter who was clearly distraught.

"But Dad.." Brittany started but Jack cut her off.

"I know, I know, the love of her life blah blah blah." Her dad rambled and a genuine smile broke out of his daughter's face.

"Do you think she's worth fighting for?" Her Dad asked his eyes sweeping over her daughter.

Brittany though about Santana and how she has never failed to make Brittany laugh every time they're together. How she looks forward to seeing her and hates the feeling whenever they say goodbye. She loves the way Santana gets grumpy and how she has the cutest little frown or how she teases Rachel to death but always takes her side whenever Quinn and Rachel argues. And the kisses, the kisses that she was sure would drive her crazy one day together with the feel of her soft skin and her smell seems to be imprinted in her memory.

"I'm assuming the answer is yes." Jack said giving Brittany a mischievous grin while Brittany gave his father a sad smile.

"Brittany the best thing about you is that you always fight for what you think is best for you. Even though it was hard you chose to tell us that you were gay early on because denying who you really are was never an option. You told me before you left for New York that you want to dance and that you'll regret it if you don't at least try. Don't let her be your first regret honey." Jack said to her daughter.

"Do your old man a favor ok?" Jack added.

"Anything Daddy." Brittany answered.

"When you get back to New York, promise me that you'll see Santana as soon as possible." Jack said looking at her daughter in the eye and Brittany gave his father a grin and nodded.

xx

Santana was getting frustrated and she wanted nothing more than fling her stupid phone to the wall when she heard the prompt for Brittany's voicemail again. She has been trying to call the girl for more than an hour and she was getting worried. She wanted to berate herself for not calling her as soon as she left the hotel. She called the dance studio but no one was answering either which is understandable because from what she remembers from Brittany her last class was at 3 pm on Sundays. It was already 7 pm and she has yet to hear from Brittany. She didn't want to leave an awkward voicemail and she didn't want to show up at her apartment unannounced either.

She has even enlisted Quinn's help in case Brittany was avoiding Santana but the results were the same. She dialed Brittany's number for the nth time that day and sighed in frustration when she was redirected to voicemail.

"Where the hell are you Britt?" Santana said muttering to herself.


	18. Chapter 18

_Thank you for the faves, alerts and especially all the reviews, when I first started writing this story all I wanted was to double the number of reviews I got from my first story but it never crossed my mind that I would get more than 400 reviews (and a few threats, maybe I'll get some marriage proposals too in the future =P)! _

_I appreciate any review. I don't own anything._

**Rosetta288, rosswellmorgana, snickerpuller, BrittanaxLove, versa333, nicc9, g, DeadFlash27, buffyTheGleekslayer, SanBClause, kolaps, Better Than Waffles, mistralana, BrittanaFans, Zanyalf, DawnJuan, brittanashipperforlife** – thank you for the review and sorry for the long wait, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Acesville** – It was never my intention to drag the whole love triangle, I just wanted Santana to have a clean slate with Brittany and Allison is definitely baggage =)

**grellow** – thanks! So glad you liked that Brittany has finally made amends with her family and I'm sorry to say that this story is coming to an end but I'll think about your suggestion of doing one shots

**homobo362** – thank you as always for your awesome review, I'm sorry about the Allison kiss =P

**Liz, abigs** – thanks! I have to admit that writing the Allison part was a bit hard for me

**wkgreen** – you deserve the shout out! Yeah they do have to be off in the hospital plus she might have forgotten to charge it =D

**Smurf12345** – she will =D

**Aliesmyles, Gtown85** – thank you for your kind words and I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations

**RPX **– sorry for the delay, I hope this chapter is worth the wait

**Honeyfigsanddarkchocolate** – I'm sorry to hear that, he'll come around someday =)

**noaudacity** – Allison is half asian half caucasian =)

**ggbonz** – aww thank you, hopefully you'll be satisfied with the end of this story

**lionquinn** – haha thanks for the multiple reviews, here's chapter 18 =)

**bemo1992, Periwinkle Dwarves** – thank you for your kind words, Pot O' Gold rocked and people might hate me but I think Rory is an ass and I don't understand why people are saying that his character is sweet. The guy was pretending to be an effing leprechaun so that he can snog Brittany, he deserves to disappear.

CalmingBlue - thank you for your kind words and also for reviewing my other story TIme after Time :)

Special thanks to my awesome beta **BrSoccerChic**, **derezolution** from Tumblr who is posting quotes from this story (FYI I liked the post in Tumblr) and everyone who are posting recommendations for this story in Tumblr, L Chat, etc.

Chapter 18

Santana was in Newark Airport to say goodbye to her family, who was going back to LA that Monday afternoon, and she couldn't help the foul mood that had overtaken her. She tried to call Brittany all night until she fell asleep at around 3 A.M., and the fact that her mother called at 7 A.M. to wake her up for breakfast with the family did not help matters at all.

Her mother asked about Brittany but a pointed look from her Dad silenced her, and Santana was glad that she had talked to her father. Santana stayed quiet all throughout breakfast and lunch while Maria occasionally shot her daughter a worried look. Scenarios of a bleeding Brittany lying somewhere, or Brittany in a hospital somewhere with amnesia, or maybe Brittany running back to Jackie after the whole Allison episode made Santana want to punch something.

Even her siblings made no attempt to tease her sensing that Santana was definitely pissed off about something. Finally the boarding call for her family's flight was announced.

They took turns hugging Santana and when it was her Dad's turn he whispered, "Everything will work out Santana. You just have to believe that."

Santana gave her father a small smile and after a few more _goodbyes_ and _see you soon_s they all boarded the plane and Santana was left alone thinking of her next move. She decided to call Quinn to see if she had any luck getting in touch with Brittany. After a few rings Quinn finally picked up her phone.

"I haven't heard from her, Santana, and yes I've been trying to call her every hour." Quinn said knowing immediately what the call was about.

Santana sighed and said in a defeated tone, "I don't know what else to do Quinn, earlier I gave in and left her a message asking her to call me back and she still hasn't called."

"Look Santana, stop the pity party, maybe Brittany just needs a little time to sort things out. Why don't you try going to her apartment? She's probably inside moping around." Quinn said, trying to make sense of why Brittany had suddenly gone MIA.

"What if she's avoiding me because of the whole Allison shit? I wouldn't blame her for not wanting to see me right now, I mean, after being burned by Jackie she must have.." Santana said before being cut off by Quinn.

"First of all, you are not Jackie. That bitch doesn't even deserve to breathe the same air we do. Do me favor Santana, just check her apartment while I try to think of something else. We're gonna find her." Quinn said, reassuring her friend.

Santana sighed dejectedly and ended the call. She then headed to her car trying to muster up the courage to show up at Brittany's doorstep.

xx

Brittany was watching her nephew while her Mom and sister were with her father at the hospital. Despite her protests, they told her to go home to get some rest and she finally relented when her sister said that she needed to watch Andrew. After an hour of instructions on how to take care of her nephew, her sister finally left to join her mother at the hospital while Brittany was thrilled to have some alone time with her nephew. In no time at all he had his aunt wrapped around his chubby little fingers and Brittany was glad for the reprieve. As much as she loved her dad she hated the over sanitized smell of the hospital. After feeding and bathing her nephew she put him down for a nap, smiling as his thumb automatically made its way to his mouth. She made sure that the baby monitor was working before making her way into the kitchen to make a cup of green tea. All the caffeine she had ingested was making her jittery and after the emotional roller coaster these past few days she desperately needed a long hot bath and tons of sleep. But since she was watching her nephew, the green tea would do for now.

For the first time in 2 days Brittany allowed herself to take stock of the events that transpired. From her father's heart attack, to their talk yesterday which surprised Brittany and her mother embracing her with tears in her eyes after talking to her father, and for the first time in years she felt a heavy burden lift from her shoulders. It felt good to have her parents finally come to terms with her sexuality and she knew that deep inside she still craved their support. She then allowed her thoughts to wander to Santana. The whole thing felt like a dream now as if everything only happened in her mind. Brittany winced thinking about Santana and Allison together but decided that she would at least tell Santana how she felt. Her flight back to New York was the following day since her father was going home in the morning and she would call Santana as soon as she arrived in her apartment. She had been fighting the urge to call her and it was a good thing that in her hurry to go to the airport she forgot to bring her charger. She forgot to ask her sister for one and she figured that at least she got to focus on her Dad more.

Her reverie was broken when she heard her nephew in the baby monitor and with a sigh she stood up, placed her cup in the sink, and headed out to Andrew's room.

xx

Santana parked in front of Brittany's building unsure of what to do. She thought about showing up unannounced at her door but it seems rude and the last thing she wanted was for Brittany to have more reasons to be pissed off at her. She eyed the door of Brittany's apartment building hoping that luck was on her side today and that she'd be able to see the elusive blonde. She tried to call her a couple of times but her cellphone was still switched off so Santana decided to wait it out.

Her heart skipped a beat every time the door to the apartment building opened but she was faced with disappointment when the one person she was hoping to see failed to show up. She tried not to think of the various grisly scenarios involving Brittany making their way onto her mind and instead focused on what to actually say to the girl once she saw her.

After 2 hours of waiting, Santana was getting antsy and she felt like a stalker. She was pretty sure that the people in Brittany's building would be calling the cops anytime soon.

Before her nerves failed her, she opened the door to her car and slammed the door shut before hitting the keyfob to activate the alarm while sprinting towards Brittany's building. Fortunately a young couple was opening the door to the building and she was able to get in. Santana headed to the 3rd floor silently thanking Quinn for texting her Brittany's apartment number. After a few minutes she was staring at apartment 312, her heart was hammering inside her chest and her throat was suddenly dry. She prayed that Brittany wouldn't come out all of a sudden because she needed to recompose herself first. She paced a few times rehearsing some of the lines she wanted to say to Brittany hoping that Brittany's neighbors wouldn't make a sudden appearance because she was sure that she looked like a total idiot at the moment. Finally Santana took a deep breath and knocked softly on the door. After a few seconds she knocked again, a little louder this time in case Brittany hadn't heard her. She strained her ears to check for any movement inside and was disappointed when she didn't hear any footsteps. She knocked again and despite her better judgment because she probably looked like a total pervert, Santana pressed her ears to the door almost willing for any sign of movement inside. In a final act of desperation she stood on her toes to try and get a look inside Brittany's apartment through the peephole.

Defeated, Santana headed out the building and into her car. However, she couldn't bring herself to drive away, she felt the need to do something other than sit on her ass. She just needed to tell Brittany how she felt and suddenly an idea popped in her head and she rummaged through her bag to look for a pen and some paper.

xx

Brittany was happy at the sight of her father being wheeled out of the hospital while they followed him to her sister's car. She was going back to New York that afternoon, although she wanted to stay at least one more day but her Dad insisted that he was fine and that he didn't want Brittany's world to stop because of his heart condition. Brittany finally relented when he reminded her that she had "things" to sort out in New York.

The whole family had lunch and for the first time in years Brittany felt that she was part of the family again. Soon enough it was time for her to go and she was fighting back tears as she said goodbye to her Mom and Dad. She made them promise to tell her once her father got cleared for surgery so she could fly back to Chicago to be with them. While hugging her mother, Brittany was surprised when she told her that she expected to meet Santana soon since it was unfair that Brittany already got to meet her parents. When it was her Dad's turn to say goodbye, he reminded Brittany to see Santana as soon as possible to sort everything out.

While waiting for the plane to take off Brittany let her thoughts wander to Santana and hoped that she wasn't too late. She spent the entire flight thinking of what she would tell Santana once she saw her, from "I'm just a girl standing in front of a girl asking her to love me" (too Notting Hill) or "pick me, choose me, love me" (too Grey's Anatomy). In the end she decided to be simple and honest and just tell her that she thought they deserve a shot.

Once her plane landed in New York, she took a cab to her apartment to drop her things off and charge her phone so she could call Santana and ask her to meet her somewhere. She sighed in relief when she opened the door to her apartment. She left in such a hurry that her apartment was in total disarray so she decided to clean the place up a little while she waited for her phone to finish charging.

Not bothering to change her clothes since she figured she might be going out later if everything went according to plan, she started unpacking and straightening up her apartment. She went to the foyer to get the mail that she left on the little coffee table by the door when she stepped on something. She looked down and saw a folded piece of paper with her name neatly printed on top. Curious, she picked the paper up, unfolded it and gasped when she saw that it was a letter.

_Brittany,_

_Where are you Britt? I've been looking for you everywhere. I miss you. I keep on checking every corner looking for your eyes, straining my ears for any sound hoping to hear your voice. My mind is replaying every scene that night and how I should have ran after you or better yet how I shouldn't have let go of your hand and you have every right to run away from me but please just hear me out._

_I stopped believing. I could offer you a whole lot of other explanations but in the end that's the best and most honest answer I have. And then you came into my life in the most unexpected way. You made me go on these crazy adventures all over New York when I seriously thought that I'd outgrown them. I could talk and talk with you for hours on end when everyone else seemed to have stopped listening. My family loves you and you like them even though I think they're all mad._

_I had a thousand of "what if's" with Allison but the only what if that matters is what if I lost my chance with you? I am not going to lie and tell you that I didn't get confused when I saw her and all these feelings of nostalgia suddenly resurfaced. But it did answer the question that had been plaguing me all these years, why it didn't work out between the two of us and the answer was simple; her kiss doesn't even compare to what I feel with the simple touch of your hand and I don't want a second chance with her because all I want is one chance with you._

_The chance to hold your hand whenever I want to, to kiss you just because I feel like it. I want to hear you rant about your day and celebrate our little victories over life's injustices. I want to wake you up at dawn just to tell you how beautiful you are or spoil you rotten because I can't resist your pout. We can get wasted at some party and I'll later clean you up when you puke. I want to hold your hand as the plane takes off or argue over what movie to watch on a Saturday night. Go to a picnic in Central Park while I read Neruda with your head in my lap or keep you close to me while we walk down Times Square so we can both be warm on a chilly New York night. I want to stare at Starry Night for hours on end with your head on my shoulder. I want to laugh in bed with you while we talk about stupid things and later fall asleep with your hand in mind and wake up with you cuddling me to death. I want to be there at every opening night watching you dance and later slow dance with you while the rest of the world fades away until all that matters is the two us._

_Please, Britt, just give us a chance._

_Santana_

xx

Santana was sprawled out on her bed not bothering to change from her work clothes, her head buried in a pillow while clutching Miss Waddles. It was her first day back at work after her vacation and she was exhausted, besides the fact she was missing Brittany badly. She had refrained from trying to contact Brittany intending to give the girl some space but this resulted in a very cranky Santana. She groaned when she heard her phone ring but sat up quickly when she realized that it might be Brittany calling. She groaned when she saw it was Quinn and even contemplated ignoring the call, but knowing Quinn, she'd keep calling until Santana picked up.

She pressed the answer button and before she could even say hello an irritated Quinn spat out, "Why aren't you answering your phone bitch?"

Santana rolled her eyes and answered, "Well hello to you too Fabgay, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"If you're nice to me I might just give you information regarding Brittany's current whereabouts." Quinn said smugly.

Santana sat up a little straighter when she heard Brittany's name and was about to pledge a month's worth of doing the dishes to her roommate when she heard another voice on the other end of the line.

"Santana this is Rachel and I want to apologize for Quinn's appalling behavior. I know you are severely depressed right now with all the drama regarding the unexpected reappearance of the girl who crushed your soul and, in what can only be described as ironic, the sudden disappearance of the girl who has managed to teach your heart to sing again. In what may be known as a stroke of genius I called up Tina, my vocal coach who has been marvelous at stretching my vocal abilities, helping me mature into the total performer that I am now." Rachel rattled off while Santana contemplated if she could plead insanity if she decided to murder the gnome.

Quinn must have nudged Rachel because she ended her monologue about how much she loved herself and returned to the original topic.

"So as you know, Tina is dating Mike who happens to be Brittany's boss, and I found out that the reason why Brittany is MIA is that she is in Chicago because her father had a heart attack. She called Mike last Sunday to inform him that she would be gone for a few days." Rachel finished proud that she was able to crack the whereabouts of Brittany.

Santana felt a cold chill run up her spine when she heard the reason why Brittany had been missing for the past couple of days. Finding her voice she managed to ask the other girl on the line, "Rachel, did Mike tell you the hospital name?"

"I believe Brittany's father is at the Northwestern Memorial Hospital." Rachel said.

Santana scribbled the name on a piece of paper and thanked Rachel. Her mind was racing while she stared at the paper in her hand and acting purely on instinct she began throwing clothes in an overnight bag. She was going to Chicago tonight.

xx

Brittany was pacing outside Santana's apartment clutching Santana's letter to her chest trying to calm her racing heart. She was afraid that if she came bursting through Santana's door that she would start crying hysterically and the constant stream of people coming out of the apartment was making her more anxious.

She walked back and forth at the steps of Santana's apartment with her head down when she heard the door open. Not bothering to look up, she continued striding back and forth on the pavement. She froze when she heard a familiar voice call her name.

"Brittany."

Brittany looked up and saw Santana looking back at her. Brittany swallowed the lump that formed in her throat and managed to croak out a weak, "Hi Santana" her gaze never leaving the warm brown eyes.

Santana took a tentative step forward down the steps dropping the hastily packed overnight bag as if being pulled by gravity, courtesy of bright blue eyes.

"I just heard about your Dad, how is he?" Santana asked

"He's fine." Brittany answered. She then noticed the bag sitting on the top step and a little frown formed in her face.

"Are you going somewhere?" Brittany asked Santana, who took another step down the stairs to get closer.

"I was supposed to go to Chicago." Santana answered not breaking eye contact with Brittany.

Brittany looked confused so Santana added, "I was going to look for you." Brittany was breathless at this point and only managed to say a weak "Why?"

Santana took another step down the stairs until she was just one step away from Brittany.

"I believe I owe someone a date." Santana answered, a small smile forming on her lips.

Mesmerized by the words coming out of Santana's mouth, Brittany held out the piece of paper in her hand for Santana to see.

"I read your letter." Brittany said and was satisfied by the blush that crept up Santana's cheeks.

"Do you mean it?" Brittany asked taking a step up the stairs closing the distance between her and Santana until they were both eye to eye.

"Every word." Santana whispered before finally capturing Brittany's lips with her own. Both of them reveled in the warmth of each other's mouths and the thrill of finally stripping off all inhibitions and masks. This time it was just the two of them: Santana and Brittany. All that mattered is that they were both ready to take that step and take on all the possibilities. They kissed until they were both out of breath and when they parted with their foreheads against each other and their breath mixing with the winter breeze, both girls couldn't stop the laughter that erupted between them. Brittany pulled Santana in an embrace enjoying the new yet familiar feel of Santana's body against her own and Santana buried her head in Brittany's hair inhaling Brittany's scent.

Brittany pulled back to look at Santana before pulling her in for another kiss, and when they separated she grinned at Santana and said, "You're not allowed to kiss anyone else ok? Especially ex-girlfriends or even roommates or any dancer or actress. Unless you drown and need mouth to mouth resuscitation."

This time it was Santana's turn to kiss Brittany in a kiss that turned both their insides to mush. When Santana realized that they were in the middle of the street and several people were gawking at them she ended the kiss. She grinned at Brittany and whispered, "I wouldn't want to kiss anyone else."

Brittany smiled right back at Santana and took Santana's hand to intertwine Santana's fingers with her own. "So how about that first date Lopez?"

Santana grabbed her overnight bag and pulled Brittany towards her car. "Well I'm thinking I already have an overnight bag so how about renting a hotel room for the night?" Santana said clearly teasing Brittany.

"Hey kissing is the only thing allowed on the first date." Brittany said indignantly cocking her eyebrows at Santana.

"Oh please Brittany, you've been trying to cop a feel ever since we started fake dating. I mean, that night when I was sick you clearly took advantage of my vulnerability." Santana said playfully at Brittany who was rolling her eyes at Santana.

"If I remember correctly you kissed me that night and I'm pretty sure I felt your hand graze my boobs while you were pretending to sleep." Brittany said with a smug smile on her face.

Santana's eyes widened and desperately thought of a comeback but when none came to mind she sighed and said with a smirk playing on her lips, "Fine, dinner and a movie with a hot make out session after and 90% chance of 2nd base."

Brittany laughed, gave Santana a wet kiss on the cheek and whispered, "Make that 95% chance of 2nd base and maybe a preview of third base," leaving Santana speechless.


	19. Chapter 19

_Thank you for the faves, alerts and reviews! I appreciate any feedback. Next chapter will be the last and this chapter is shorter than usual but I hope this one is worth the wait._

_I don't own anything._

**anon, daftdaffy88, BritannaFans, BrittanaxLove, iamirreplazable, rawrrr93, gleebrittanafan, veras333, Liv, kitayyyy, Lanter, LunarMiko07, rosswellmorgana, grellow, abigs, buffyTheGleekslayer, aliesmyles, mylittlesnowangel, Santitney** - thank you for your kind words!

**Teddie The Swede** - Rachel is annoying but I also find her hilarious, glad you like how I write her =)

**Jac Lag, ggbonz** - thank you for always reviewing my story, yes it is nearing the end but I'm not closing any doors on possible sequels or one shots based on this AU =D

**nicc9** - I hope you find this chapter sweeter

**DawnJuan, gotlovetokill, wkgreen** - read on =) hope you all enjoy this one

**homobo362, lionquinn, crazyfornaya, sthlmynnej, CalmingBlue, Littleshadow37, onebratsis **- sorry for the delayed update, hope you all enjoy this chapter

**bemo1992** - Ha! finally someone who thinks Rory is an ass! What's up with Finn being friends with him and hating Blaine?

**RPX** - thank you, thank you, thank you =)

**AngelRHC** - sadly I am wrapping up this story

**brittanashipperforlife** - next chapter is the epilogue

**shesBLAZING** - thank you for taking a chance on my story and for your very kind words

Special thanks to my awesome beta **BrSoccerChic** and **derezolution** from Tumblr who posted Santana's letter in Tumblr.

Chapter 19

The two of them ended up at Veselka, deciding against going to the movies since they were both starving. Santana ordered enough food to feed a small army and while waiting for their food both girls were quiet as if shy from the sudden turn of events. Although they were avoiding each others eyes, both of their gazes were fixed on their hands intertwined together on top of the table and they both had this goofy smile plastered on their faces. Brittany admired the contrast of their skin and the way their fingers fit together. Santana was doing the same and she also started to run her thumb across Brittany's hand, loving the feel of Brittany's soft skin against her own.

The trance that both girls were in was broken when their food arrived. They reluctantly let go of each other's hand but not before giving each other a stupid grin and Brittany couldn't help but press a small kiss on Santana's cheeks when her dimples made an appearance. At first they ate silently, enjoying the food and each other's company. It was Santana who broke the comfortable silence when she giggled at the sight of Brittany devouring the borscht soup. Brittany looked up with a puzzled expression on her face and instead of answering; Santana leaned in to wipe some of the soup that dribbled down the corner of Brittany's mouth. Brittany gave Santana a sappy smile at the gesture.

"Is your Dad going to be ok?" Santana asked Brittany who was thoughtfully chewing a piece of kielbasa.

Brittany gave her a sad smile, which worried Santana, and said, "He needs to go into surgery." Santana then took Brittany's hand to give it a squeeze and a kiss.

"I'm sorry Britt. Do you want me to talk to my Dad for a second opinion? He's a pretty bad ass surgeon in LA and you know my family loves you so I'm sure he'll do it in a heartbeat." Santana offered, giving Brittany a shy smile.

Brittany closed the distance between their bodies to give Santana a kiss that made Santana close her eyes when their lips connected while Brittany smiled at the taste of pierogis in Santana's mouth.

"Thank you and I'll talk to my mom and sister about it." Brittany whispered against Santana's lips before giving her another quick peck on the lips.

Both girls continued devouring their food and after a few more minutes of comfortable silence filled with goofy grins and feeding each other kielbasa, Brittany finally asked Santana about Allison.

"So what happened with Allison?" Brittany asked trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to." Brittany added when she saw Santana arch her eyebrows and a slight blush creep onto her cheeks.

This time it was Santana who leaned in to give Brittany a lingering kiss, lightly sucking on Brittany's bottom lip until a low moan escaped from Brittany's throat. Satisfied, Santana broke contact fighting the groan that threatened to escape her lips at the loss of Brittany's lips on hers.

Smiling at Brittany's slightly swollen lips, Santana tucked a wayward hair behind Brittany's ear and said quietly, "She wanted me back."

Santana could see the pout starting to form in Brittany's lips and she couldn't help but give her a quick peck on the lips. "But I told her about you and that our story is just beginning while hers and mine had already ended. I finally said goodbye." Santana added smiling at Brittany who was beaming back at her.

xx

After an hour they found themselves at the dance studio where Brittany was attempting to teach Santana some dance moves. As it turned out, Santana wasn't a bad dancer at all and Brittany found herself grinning at the way their bodies moved in the mirrors lining up the studio.

They ended up sitting on the floor with their backs against the wall while sipping from their bottled water. It was Brittany who broke the comfortable silence that settled between them when she said, "My dad wants to meet you."

Santana was a bit startled by the revelation and turned to look at Brittany who was nervously fiddling with her bottle of water. She smiled at the way Brittany was purposely avoiding her eyes. Santana took Brittany's hand and tangled them with her own before saying ok, smiling at Brittany who was scrutinizing Santana's expression to see if the other girl was serious.

"What?" Santana asked when after a few minutes Brittany still looked like she didn't believe Santana.

"Are you seriously ok with meeting my family?" Brittany asked.

"You've met mine so it's only fair." Santana answered.

"It's not like that Santana. I don't want to pressure you into…" Brittany said before Santana pulled her in for a kiss that left them breathless and craving for more when it ended.

"You didn't let me finish." Santana whispered in Brittany's lips and it took all of Brittany's will power not to close the gap between their lips for another mind numbing kiss. Much to Brittany's dismay Santana moved to assume their previous position.

"I want to meet your family because that's what you do when you're in a serious relationship with someone and I know that it might be premature to say this but I'm in this for the long haul Britt. I want to get nervous about meeting your parents and hopefully I won't do anything embarrassing during dinner. I want to see your baby pictures and gush at how cute you were and hear crazy stories about your childhood like strapping fireworks to your cat and..." It was Brittany's turn to cut off Santana with another kiss.

"I did no such thing; I just fed Lord Tubbington tons of cheese." Brittany said in between kisses. Santana giggled at Brittany's revelation and pulled back to look at her, saying, "So it's settled then, I'll be meeting my girlfriend's parents soon and bringing cheese for Lord Tubbington."

Brittany grinned at Santana before giving her a peck on the lips.

"Girlfriend huh?" Brittany said, her cheeks already hurting from all the smiling and kissing she had been doing for the past few hours.

Santana flashed Brittany her killer dimples and answered, "Yep, girlfriend."

xx

Not wanting the night to end too soon, both girls ended up at Santana's apartment for a supposed nightcap but the hot cocoa that Santana prepared lay cold and forgotten on the coffee table while Brittany straddled Santana on the couch. It was hard to determine where Brittany ended and Santana began and both girls sported bruises around their necks. Brittany's fingers were drawing lazy circles on the exposed skin of Santana's abs stopping just below Santana's breasts, effectively driving Santana mad.

Santana grabbed Brittany's hand and was just about to guide it underneath her bra when the light suddenly flooded the darkened room and a familiar voice gasped and after a few seconds said rather smugly, "I see you two finally found each other." Brittany jumped from the couch with swollen lips and hair all over the place and looked guilty at being caught in a compromising position.

"Hi Quinn." Brittany said trying to act as normal as possible. She then heard Santana groan and saw the girl bury her head in the couch. She helped Santana up who was obviously irked by the intrusion. Quinn just gave the two girls an amused smile.

"How's your Dad, Britt?" Quinn asked Brittany who was running her hand through her hair trying to tame the curls.

"He's doing well but he still needs surgery," Brittany answered.

"That's good news," Quinn said before stealing a look at Santana who was now sitting on the couch sulking with a scowl on her face.

Quinn took the now cold hot cocoa back to the kitchen and Brittany took the opportunity to snuggle back with Santana who was muttering what sounded a lot like cockblock, dwarf's girlfriend. Stifling a laugh, Brittany started peppering kisses all over Santana's face, which effectively wiped it free of any scowl. Things were starting to heat up again when they heard Quinn's voice cutting through the haze.

"Can you please stop making out for a minute? I have to tell you guys something." Quinn said exasperated. Brittany giggled and sat up straight on the couch but not before giving Santana a quick kiss on the cheek to remove another scowl that was forming on her girlfriends face.

Quinn handed them mugs filled with hot cocoa that she must have reheated and took a seat opposite them. They all took a sip and Quinn looked to be deep in thought. Santana was the first one to crack.

"For fuck's sake Quinn what's your big announcement? If you don't have anything to say can I please go back to kissing my girlfriend?" Santana said looking annoyed at Quinn while Brittany flushed a deep red at Santana calling her girlfriend.

Quinn just raised her eyebrows and with a coy smile said, "I'm proposing to Rachel."

"No fucking way!" Santana said which earned her an elbow on the ribs from Brittany.

"Ouch! That hurt Britt!" Santana said rubbing her side but Brittany just glared at her before standing up and hugging Quinn.

"I'm happy for you Quinn!" Brittany squealed and both girls looked at Santana who was still rubbing her ribs.

After a few seconds, Santana looked up to see two expectant faces. "What?" Santana said.

"Santana…" Brittany said with a stern voice.

"Ugh! Fine! I guess I should be happy for you since I'm not the one who actually has to marry an annoying hobbit," Santana said rolling her eyes at Brittany and Quinn.

"Thank you Santana. I'm going to ignore your insult and just focus on the fact that Brittany has you whipped less than 24 hours into your relationship," Quinn said with a sickly sweet smile that earned her the finger from Santana.

Quinn just laughed and said, "What about a little celebration? I think I saw two bottles of Chardonnay with our names on it.'

Letting Quinn go to get the Chardonnay, Brittany sank back to the couch to cuddle with Santana who automatically buried her head in Brittany's hair savoring her now familiar smell.

They stayed wrapped in each others arms until Quinn arrived and scoffed at the two of them, "Are you two seriously going to be like this all night?"

"Think of this as payback for all the gross public display of affection I had to endure between you and your troll. Plus I'm sure Britts and I are way hotter than you and Frodo," Santana said smugly which earned her a pinch from Brittany.

Quinn just smirked and shoved them the wine and glasses. Once all the glasses were filled, Brittany proposed a toast to Quinn, Rachel and new beginnings. Santana who looked absolutely smitten by Brittany pulled the blonde in for a small kiss whispering, "To new and wonderful beginnings."

xx

The three of them managed to finish the 2 bottles of Chardonnay and by Quinn's suggestion they also cracked open the emergency stash of vodka they had in the apartment. Quinn was the first one to get wasted and was snoring on the floor while Brittany and Santana resumed their heated make out session on the couch.

Things were definitely progressing with Santana's bra already on the floor and Brittany's hand under her shirt. The alcohol was fueling their desires and it was only a particularly loud snore from Quinn that forced reason to flood back into Santana's brain. She pulled back only to be met with resistance from Brittany.

"Britt." Santana said fighting the moan that threatened to escape from her lips when Brittany sucked on a sensitive spot on her neck.

"Britt." Santana repeated with a firmer tone this time and this time Brittany stopped her assault on Santana's neck to look at her with lust filled eyes. It took all of Santana's resolve not to pull her back; instead she tucked a strand of Brittany's hair behind her ear and whispered "Hey." Santana then buried her head in Brittany's neck where she could feel Brittany's pulse slowing down.

After a few minutes, Brittany sighed and said, "We may need to slow down a bit." This made Santana giggle like an idiot and when she looked up she saw Brittany smiling back at her.

With a groan Santana got up from the couch where she was straddling Brittany earlier and surveyed the damage they caused, chuckling at the sight of a very drunk Quinn.

"Want me to help clean up?" Brittany asked Santana.

"We should probably take Quinn to her room," Santana answered and both girls managed to half carry Quinn to her bed as she mumbled something about Rachel and dwarves as bridesmaids.

Closing Quinn's door, Santana and Brittany faced each other with goofy smiles plastered on both their faces.

"I should probably head home." Brittany said heading back to the living room to look for her shoes with Santana following her.

"Stay." Santana said.

Brittany stopped putting on her shoes and looked at Santana with questioning eyes.

Santana blushed when she realized what she had said so she added, "It's late Britt, I would drive you home but I'm already tipsy and I don't want you walking alone. I can sleep on the couch and you can take my bed."

Brittany cut her off by giving her a kiss on the lips.

"You're adorable when you get all flustered." Brittany said when their lips parted.

"And you don't need to sleep on the couch, I promise to keep my hands off you." Brittany continued.

30 minutes later both girls were on Santana's bed facing each other, both trying to fend off sleep but failing miserably. After a dozen goodnight kisses, Brittany finally pulled Santana closer to be the big spoon and whispered, "Come on honey, let's go to sleep."

"Honey." Santana mumbled pressing closer to Brittany.

"Or babe, baby, darling. We'll figure it out." Brittany said placing a small kiss on Santana's neck before finally giving in to sleep.

xx

**A/N: Next chapter will be the epilogue and will feature time jumps.**


	20. Epilogue

_Thank you to every one who bothered to read my story and those who added it to their alerts and favorites and all those who reviewed! Writing this has been a blast! I also want to apologize for the delayed update between the holidays, work and endless christmas parties I barely have time to sleep. I hope this last chapter is worth the wait._

_I don't own anything._

As always thank you to my beta **BrSoccerChic**

Epilogue

**3 months later**

Brittany watched as her mom kissed her father before the doctors had to take him to the OR. When it was her turn, she gave her father a big smile and a kiss on the forehead before saying, "See you later ok? We'll be waiting for you."

Her father chuckled, "Ok honey."

All three women headed to the waiting area to begin the 10-hour wait. Brittany sat with her mom while her sister went home to drop Andrew off with her in-laws.

Brittany and her mom sat quietly with Brittany's arms around her mother trying to feed each other strength and comfort. After two hours her mother was fast asleep on one of the couches in the waiting room, exhausted from the anxiety of the past few days. Brittany tried to pass the time by reading the various magazines littered throughout the waiting area. She didn't want to think about how they're opening up her dad's chest so instead she focused her thoughts on the drastic improvement of her relationship with her family over the past couple of months. They even got to meet Santana when they visited her in New York and although it was awkward at first, they eventually warmed up to her.

Brittany couldn't help but smile a little when she thought about how nervous Santana was during dinner with her family. But in the end she managed to charm her way into her family's good side.

Brittany sighed before tossing the old magazine aside. She was missing her girlfriend even if they'd only been apart for two days.

She was reaching for another magazine when she saw her sister approaching with a smile on her face and coffee in one hand.

"Hey sis, look who I found in the lobby," her sister said before stepping aside to reveal an obviously sleep deprived Santana clutching three cups of coffee.

After the initial shock wore off, Brittany jumped from her seat and enveloped Santana in a tight hug. Santana chuckled trying to keep the coffee from spilling all over while returning Brittany's embrace using one arm.

"What are you doing here?" Brittany asked pulling Santana tighter.

"I wasn't sure I could get time off from work which is why I didn't say anything. But you know that I'm here for you Britt, for you and your family. I could make coffee runs or buy lunch."

Brittany pulled back and gave Santana a chaste kiss on the lips knowing that she still feels uncomfortable with excessive displays of affection in front of Brittany's family.

Anne cleared her throat and gave both girls a smile.

"Did someone come out of the operating room to give us a status on Daddy?" Anne asked her sister.

"Not yet." Brittany answered and Anne just nodded.

They all sat down and Santana busied herself in preparing Brittany's coffee, making sure to leave plenty of sugar and cream for Brittany's mother.

The door of the operating room opened and Brittany gently shook her mother awake so they could all talk to her father's attending physician.

Santana waited with bated breath trying to decipher what was happening. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw Brittany smile and the three Pierce women hugged each other.

Brittany enveloped Santana in a hug and gave her the news, "He's doing well and the damage to his arteries was not as extensive as they originally thought."

"That's great news Britt." Santana said relieved with the update from Jack's doctor.

When Santana pulled away she looked at Brittany's mother and offered her a shy smile. "Hi Mrs. Pierce, I hope you don't mind me coming over." Santana said suddenly feeling a little nervous.

"Thanks for coming Santana, we need all the support we can get. Now where is that coffee I smelled earlier?" Linda said smiling at Santana who immediately grabbed the coffee for Brittany's mom.

After a few minutes the four women settled in the waiting area trying to find ways to pass the time.

"Here Britt, I already put in the two packets of sugar and creamer just the way you want it." Santana said, handing Brittany her coffee.

Brittany took the coffee from Santana's hand and said the words that she had been dying to say for weeks now but never found the opportunity, "I love you."

Santana was taken by surprise at the words that came out of Brittany's mouth but after processing what Brittany said she looked up to meet Brittany's eyes and said, "I love you too."

xx

Later that day, Santana was brushing her teeth in the bathroom of the hotel room she rented near the hospital. Brittany's sister Anne offered her the pullout couch but she politely refused, not wanting to be a burden since her visit was not exactly under the best of circumstances. Since Brittany's mom was staying in the guest room at Anne's house, Brittany was staying with Santana tonight. The grueling wait ended after 10 hours and after that all of them patiently waited for Jack Pierce to wake up in the recovery room. He gave them a tired smile and a thumbs up. With that they all decided to turn in for the night since Jack needed his rest anyway.

When she came out of the bathroom, she smiled a little when she saw Brittany already in her pajamas, sprawled on the hotel bed. She knew that Brittany was not only physically but emotionally exhausted as well.

She carefully slipped under the covers not wanting to disturb her sleeping girlfriend. Brittany must have sensed her presence because she automatically pulled Santana closer to her body. Assuming the big spoon position, Brittany kissed the back of Santana's neck inhaling her familiar scent and with her eyes still closed said, "Thank you for coming here."

Santana shifted to face Brittany and placed a gentle kiss on her girlfriends lips, "You mean the world to me Britt and I would drop everything and anything to be with you and help or support you in any way that I can. You're my best friend too, you know?" Santana said.

Instead of answering, Brittany pulled Santana in for a kiss and when they parted Santana gave her a soft smile. Brittany smiled back and draped an arm over Santana to hold her closer.

Brittany was drifting off to sleep when she heard Santana call her name.

"Hmmm." Brittany answered snuggling closer to Santana.

"Babe, earlier when you saidÖ" Santana started but before she could finish her sentence Brittany said, "I love you."

"Yes that, did you uhmm...did you mean it?" Santana said, suddenly feeling embarrassed.

Brittany giggled and looked up to cup Santana's face and repeated, "I love you, Santana Lopez." Santana beamed at Brittany and gave her a chaste kiss on the lips, "I love you too, Brittany Pierce."

After a few more gentle kisses they both fell asleep in each other's arms.

xx

**9 months later**

"I still think it's unfair, babe." Brittany said pouting at her girlfriend who was busy rummaging through her closet.

"Britt, I can't be Frodo's maid of honor, you know that." Santana said, not looking up from the piles of clothes she had made a mess of, amazed that almost half of them belonged to Brittany.

Before Brittany could answer they heard someone buzzing at the door and the blonde volunteered to go see who it was. After a few seconds Santana heard Brittany yell, "Quinn's here babe!"

Santana stepped out of the room a few minutes later wearing a red striped dress that left little to the imagination.

"Someone's really excited tonight." Quinn said raising her eyebrows at Santana's outfit.

"Santana, you're not going to a strip club wearing that!" Brittany said exasperated.

"But Britt I look super hot in this." Santana retorted.

"Maybe you should go to Rachel's shower instead and I'll go with Quinn." Brittany said, not backing down.

"No! Tell her Quinn! Tell her that you actually need Rachel to be alive in order to marry her because if I go to her stupid luncheon I might actually kill her." Santana said panicking.

"As much as I would like to see Santana suffer her way through sandwiches, tea, crumpets and scones, I would have to side with Santana this time. I don't think my in-laws would approve of Santana calling their daughter midget." Quinn said, looking at her two friends in amusement.

"And I'm going to let your threat to my future wife's life slide because you are paying for our little trip today." Quinn added with a smug smile on her face.

"Fine but I have to show you something first." Brittany said tugging Santana inside the bedroom.

Quinn sighed and flopped down the couch. After 15 minutes Quinn thought she heard a moan inside Santana's room and she immediately stood up to make sure that was indeed what she had heard.

What the fuck? Quinn thought to herself when the moaning grew louder as she approached the door. She knocked on the door of Santana's room loudly saying, "You guys are disgusting!"

The moaning immediately stopped and after a few seconds, Brittany and Santana exited both disheveled and guilty with Santana sporting a fresh hickey on her neck.

"You're both gross." Quinn stated.

"Fuck off Quinn, think of it as payback for the number of times I had to use earplugs because your fiancée thought it was a good idea to belt out a note every time she has an orgasm." Santana said defensively. Quinn just rolled her eyes at Santana and said "Whatever Satan, let's just go and get this over with."

Brittany managed to find a coat and drape it over Santana's shoulder. Santana sighed and looked at her jealous girlfriend who was still pouting and was pulling at the hem of Santana's dress in a fruitless effort to cover her girlfriend's exposed legs.

Santana laughed and pulled Brittany in for a soft kiss and said, "How about you ditch the gremlin and I ditch Barbie then we can have our own private party?"

Brittany smiled and started trailing kisses along Santana's jaw and when she reached Santana's earlobe whispered, "That's an awesome idea babe but I think we're about to be vaporized; Quinn looks like she'll be shooting fire from her eyes any second now."

Santana turned to look at Quinn who was glaring at them. Santana giggled and pulled Brittany in for another quick kiss,

"Don't have too much fun, ok?" Brittany, said another pout forming on her lips.

"I promise to be as miserable as possible before, after and during the lap dances." Santana said, teasing her girlfriend who was pouting again.

Brittany reluctantly let go of her girlfriend while Quinn rolled her eyes at them. Brittany showed them to the door and Brittany gave her another quick kiss on the lips before saying, "Santana Lopez, you have six hickeys: two on your thighs, two on your twins, one on your tummy and one on your neck. You better come back with those exact six, ok? I love you."

Santana smiled and placed another kiss on Brittany's lips. "I love you." Santana said before finally joining Quinn, who was glaring at them.

"Be here when I get back?" Santana said looking back at Brittany who was still at the door.

"See you later." Brittany answered, blowing Santana a kiss before heading back inside Santana's apartment to get ready for Rachel's bridal luncheon.

xx

The following morning Santana woke up to the smell of bacon and coffee. She groaned when she felt her head pounding, the effect of too much tequila and vodka last night.

She almost crawled her way out of her bedroom towards the heavenly smell. Santana was able to make it to the couch where she curled into a tight little ball intending to ease the massive headache that had replaced the pounding in her head.

Santana felt soft, warm fingers caress her cheeks and she opened a bleary eye to meet worried blue ones.

"Hey babe, how are you feeling?" Brittany asked Santana.

"Head hurts." Santana mumbled leaning into Brittany's hand. Brittany kissed Santana's forehead and slowly withdrew her hand from Santana who fell right back into sleep.

Santana woke up for the second time that day with her girlfriend placing kisses all over her face.

"Hi baby." Santana said sitting up and feeling a bit better than the last time she woke up.

"Rough night?" Brittany asked handing Santana a glass of water, a banana and an aspirin. Santana just nodded and after drinking the water and eating the banana and aspirin she pulled Brittany in for a kiss.

"Thanks. Have I told you that you're like the best girlfriend ever?" Santana said smiling at Brittany.

"Hmm tell me again." Brittany answered pulling Santana closer.

"You're awesome Britt and I love you." Santana said giving Brittany another kiss.

"I love you too babe." Brittany said in between kisses.

"I'll say it again, you guys are disgusting." Quinn said, suddenly making an appearance in the living room after spending the night in her old room.

"You're just jealous because unlike you I have a gorgeous girlfriend instead of an oompa loompa reject." Santana said while placing small kisses all over Brittany's face.

Quinn gave Santana the finger before asking Brittany, "I smelled bacon. Where is it?"

Brittany chuckled and said, "It's in the kitchen, help yourself."

"Enjoy it while you can Fabgay, I'm pretty sure you'll be eating bacon made of wheatgrass or something once you get married." Santana added.

Quinn just rolled her eyes and headed to the kitchen.

"San, you want some coffee, bacon and pancakes?" Brittany asked Santana who was snuggling comfortably with her.

At the mention of food, Santana's stomach rumbled which made Brittany laugh. As much as she wants to stay cuddled up on the couch with Brittany, she couldn't ignore her hunger either. With a sigh, Santana disentangled herself from her girlfriend to stand up. She offered her girlfriend a hand and they both headed to the kitchen where they found Quinn shoving bacon in her mouth.

"Geez Quinn, save some for us." Santana said scowling.

"I'll cook some more." Brittany said letting go of Santana's hand to open the fridge and took out the bacon.

After a few minutes Brittany and Santana were feeding each other pancakes and bacon while Quinn ignored the blatant display of affection between the two by reading The New Yorker.

"What happened last night? Did you have fun babe? I slept like a log and didn't hear you come in." Brittany asked Santana after taking a sip of coffee. Quinn snorted when she heard the question.

"Uhmm, I'm not really sure what happened except that there were lots of Patron and Skyy vodka involved." Santana answered, her headache returning when she tried to think about the events last night.

"I'll tell you what happened. Santana here together with my friends from work bought me a lap dance with this super hot girl and everything was going swell when I caught Santana staring at, surprise surprise this amazing pole dancer with long blonde hair and blue eyes. Being the good friend that I am I thought I would put her out of her misery and asked the girl if she could give Santana a lap dance."

Brittany narrowed her eyes and turned to look at Santana, who by the looks of it was slowly remembering last night's events.

Santana buried her face in her hands and uttered, "Oh God." while Quinn continued with the story.

"Santana here refused but then I said the magic words which in case you're wondering are 'whipped beyond recognition'. Then she started downing the vodka and tequila shots one after the other for courage." Quinn said holding back her laughter.

"When Candy finally came to our table to give Santana a lap dance, she leaned in to whisper something in Santana's ears and your girlfriend here totally flipped out, she shoved Candy away and started crying about a 7th hickey. Needless to say we were kicked out of the club and told to never come back." Quinn finished and Brittany burst out laughing.

"Wow, I guess I could lock you up in a room full of hot girls and not worry about it." Brittany said teasing Santana, who still had her head buried in her hands.

"If that happened I'd expect Santana to actually claw her way out of the room before they could touch her, judging by the way she toppled Candy out of her lap." Quinn added, clearly amused by how whipped her friend is.

Brittany started peppering kisses on Santana's neck that got the other girl's attention and soon enough the two were in a furious make out in front of Quinn who just rolled her eyes.

xx

After a few hours Brittany and Santana were both curled up on the couch watching a Keeping Up With the Kardashians marathon.

"San." Brittany said getting Santana's attention.

"Hmm?" Santana answered.

"I like waking up with you in my arms." Brittany said.

Santana rolled over to face Brittany and said, "Me too."

"When I sleep in my apartment, I kiss your picture in my phone before I go to bed." Brittany continued.

Santana chuckled and placed a light kiss on Brittany's lips.

"Earlier when I was making breakfast I was thinking that I wouldn't mind getting up early in the morning just to cook for you." Brittany added.

"You know I'm ok with eating something else in the morning too." Santana said suggestively and started kissing Brittany's neck.

"Hey, focus, I'm trying to tell you something here." Brittany said, giggling.

Santana ended the assault on Brittany's neck with a groan and faced her girlfriend.

"I love how you know when to give me a foot rub after a long day in the studio and I absolutely hate it when I have to say goodnight and I love you over the phone." Brittany said, looking deep into Santana's eyes.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that maybe we could move in together?" Brittany said breaking their eye contact when she felt a blush creep onto her cheeks.

When Santana didn't say anything Brittany continued, "I wouldn't care where we live, you can move into my apartment or I can move here or maybe someplace with a pole installed?"

Santana was still silent and Brittany felt a little disappointed, maybe it was too soon after all. "Look, forget I said anything, if you're not ready I totally understand." Brittany said trying to hide the disappointment in her voice.

"Britt, shut up." Santana said chuckling.

Brittany tried to move away from the couch but Santana pulled her down on top of her and smiled at the pout forming in Brittany's lips. Brittany was avoiding her eyes so she cupped her face to gaze into the piercing blue eyes that she loves.

"Yes." Santana said and when Brittany looked confused Santana added, "Let's move in together but do you mind if you move here instead? I love your apartment and all but half of your stuff is already here and I hate packing."

Brittany squealed and attacked Santana's lips.

"You could set up a tent in Central Park and I'd still move in with you." Brittany said. Their lips met for another kiss and when they parted Santana reached out for her phone and looked for Quinn's number. Brittany watched her girlfriend with raised eyebrows wondering who Santana was calling.

"Fabgay, You have been living here for a year already and I need you to finally move your ugly bed out of this apartment. Britts and I are installing a pole in your room." Santana said, ending the call immediately, not waiting for Quinn's answer before pulling Brittany in for another kiss.

xx

**1 year later**

Brittany stood outside The Peninsula in Beverly Hills patiently waiting for Miguel to pick her up. LA was the last stop of Lady Gaga's tour and she was going home to New York to Santana in two days' time. The last four months had been some of the best times of her life but the downside of touring is that she terribly missed Santana and the random weekends when Santana visited her in whatever city she was performing in were never enough.

The whole Lopez family except Santana came to watch the concert last night and Maria invited her to dinner with Mikaela tonight for a little girls' night out. Since Brittany did not have a car, Maria was adamant that Miguel pick her up and bring her to the restaurant since she won't have time to pick her up herself.

Brittany was broken out of her reverie when the smiling face of Christian peeked out of a black Camry.

"Hey there, ready for a wild night with the Lopez women?" Christian said, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.

"Hello Christian." Brittany said smiling at Santana's big brother.

Brittany slipped onto the backseat and smiled when she saw Miguel behind the wheel.

"Hello sweetheart." Miguel said returning Brittany's smile.

"Hi Miguel" Brittany greeted back.

"Given the circumstances maybe you should start calling him Da..." Christian started but was cut off by Miguel with a smack in the head.

"Don't mind him Brittany." Miguel said looking at Brittany in the rearview mirror.

"How's your father? Do they have plans to visit LA soon? I miss having a worthy opponent in golf." Miguel asked Brittany who chuckled at his statement.

"Dad is doing well and don't worry, I know he has been pestering Mom about moving here so he can golf more. He's using the fact that he has you as his doctor to make his point and I'm pretty sure he is slowly wearing Mom down." Brittany answered.

Miguel laughed and said, "I'm sure Maria will be thrilled if they ever decide to move here." Brittany nodded smiling. After her father's surgery they all went on a vacation together in LA where they met Santana's parents and the two families immediately hit it off. Miguel introduced Jack to golf and since then Brittany's father has been playing golf as much as he can, even flying to LA just to play with Miguel. Linda Pierce was at first intimidated by Maria's strong personality but eventually warmed up to her. She has even managed to get Linda involved in some of her charity work and Facebook, which amused Brittany and made Santana cringe. The two of them now stay as far away as possible from Facebook knowing that both of their mothers are online most of the time.

After a few more minutes of small talk they arrived at the restaurant and Brittany thanked Miguel and Christian for giving her a ride.

"Have fun honey." Miguel said smiling and Christian just gave her a wink and a thumbs up, which baffled Brittany.

Brittany entered the restaurant and was met by the Maitre d'.

"Reservation for Lopez." Brittany said to the smiling man who leafed through the reservation list.

"This way Madam." The man said leading Brittany inside the dining area.

They headed to one of the booths and Brittany's heart almost jumped out of her chest when she saw the person waiting at the booth.

"San!" Brittany said restraining herself from jumping onto Santana's lap.

Santana laughed at her girlfriend's reaction and waited for the Maitre d' to leave before kissing Brittany lightly on the lips not wanting to mess up both their lipsticks.

"What are you doing here?" Brittany said, her heart still hammering from the surprise.

"I can't wait two more days to be with you." Santana answered smiling at her girlfriend.

"Aww, I love you. I was actually thinking about going home to New York tonight after dinner." Brittany said.

Their waiter arrived to get their order and when he left Brittany took a sip of water and asked Santana, "When did you get here?"

"Just this afternoon and believe me it took all my strength not to barge into your hotel but I didn't want to ruin the surprise. Luckily my mom was annoying the hell out of me and the hours just flew by." Santana said grinning at Brittany.

"Let's ditch dinner then and go back to my hotel room." Brittany said, capturing Santana's earlobe and nipping at it lightly. God she missed her girlfriend.

"Britt! Come on babe we have plenty of time for that later, right now I want to have dinner with you and just talk. I missed you so much in New York and you know how I hate eating alone. I think the Chinese take out place is about to award me some of their market shares since that's all I've been eating since you left on tour, Santana said, squeezing her girlfriends hand.

"I'm not going on tour again." Brittany pouted, earning a chuckle from Santana.

Santana's expression turned serious when she saw that Brittany was actually considering not going on tour again.

"Hey Britt, you know I love you right? And I know how much you love performing and you know that I will always support you in whatever it is that makes you happy. These past few months made me realize just how much I love you and seeing you on that stage makes me happy. I know this is your calling, baby. You were born to dance and perform." Santana said.

Brittany reached out to Santana and gave her a mind blowing kiss, only stopping when their waiter arrived with the food.

"For the record the reason I want to stop touring is because I miss you a lot. After every performance I wished I could go to my hotel room and find you there waiting for me." Brittany said, smiling at Santana.

"Maybe next time I can go on a leave of absence to follow you around like a deranged fan or maybe I can be a roadie and earn some money." Santana said playfully.

"I'd take the deranged fan and I'd pay top dollar for you to follow me around." Brittany said winking at Santana, who laughed at her girlfriend's statement.

They started to eat, occasionally feeding each other food and enjoying each other's company.

After they ordered dessert, Brittany could tell that something was amiss, Santana was fidgety and was avoiding her eyes.

"Babe is something wrong?" Brittany asked placing her hand on top of Santana's to calm her down.

Santana gave her a nervous smile and said, "Everything's perfect."

The desserts they ordered arrived and Brittany started eating the cheesecake, letting out a satisfied moan when she tasted it.

"This tastes like heaven!" Brittany said holding up a piece for Santana to taste.

Santana just gave Brittany a small nervous smile while chewing the cheesecake.

Brittany put down her fork and looked at Santana with worried eyes.

"San, baby come on I know something's wrong. Are you breaking up with me?" Brittany said, not being able to hide the anxiety in her voice.

"What! Of course not Britt!" Santana said shocked that it crossed Brittany's mind.

"Then what is it Santana?" Brittany asked impatiently.

Santana gulped and looked at Brittany in the eye and said, "You're not going to let this go are you?"

Brittany shook her head and met her girlfriend's eyes.

Santana gave a nervous laugh and reached inside her purse saying, "I should have listened to my mother when she said that she'd help me with this."

Santana took out a black velvet box and Brittany's eyes widened.

Santana took Brittany's hand and smiled.

"Britt, I know that this relationship started as a charade but there is nothing more real in my life than what we have together." Santana said, her voice a bit shaky.

"And these past few months have made me realize how much I love you. I read a quote in a book I was reading one afternoon while I was in Central Park missing you. It said...Santana then reached for a piece of paper inside her purse.

"Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. We had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossom had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two." Santana read from the piece of paper she was holding.

Santana then looked at Brittany's eyes, which were damp at this point. Brushing away a stray tear she continued, "That's how I feel about you Britt, we have passion and God knows how I can't get enough of you but I think the best part of our relationship is when we just laugh in bed together or when we talk about our day. Even if we fight, I know that I'll always come home to you. I want a future with you Brittany, to be able to grow our roots together until we are one."

Santana opened the box to reveal a ring with a solitaire one-carat diamond set in white gold. "Brittany Susan Pierce, will you marry me?" Santana finally asked and this time she couldn't stop the tears from falling from her eyes.

Brittany laughed through her tears and cupped Santana's face before pulling her in for a kiss.

When they pulled apart Brittany simply said, "Yes." that made Santana chuckle and with shaky fingers, she finally slid the ring in Brittany's fingers.

Their lips met for another kiss and they were only broken out of their trance when they heard clapping. It seemed that the whole restaurant had gotten wind of what happened and they were cheering for them. They were too giddy to be embarrassed so Brittany held up her hand to show off her beautiful ring for everyone to see.

When the commotion died down, their waiter came to their table with a bottle of champagne on the house.

They toasted to the new chapter in their relationship and after sipping some of the champagne, Brittany leaned on Santana's shoulder and let out a contented sigh. She held up her hand for the 2nd time that night, admiring the ring.

"Oh I forgot to show you something." Santana said, suddenly remembering something.

Brittany sat up and looked at Santana with a smile on her face, "There's more?" Brittany said amused.

"There's an engraving inside the ring." Santana said.

Santana could see the reluctance in Brittany's face while taking off the ring and she laughed, "Don't worry I'm not taking it back. It's really tiny but I was adamant that they put it in." Santana said smiling.

Brittany held the ring and squinted her eyes to read the engraving and Santana used her cellphone as a flashlight to help Brittany.

Brittany grinned when she finally figured out what the engraving said; "so I love you because I know no other way"

xx

"Baby wake up it's your Mom." Brittany said prodding a sleeping and very naked Santana who just grunted and buried her head further in the pillow.

"Come on San." Brittany whined, this time shaking Santana harder, holding the phone to her face.

Santana opened a bleary eye and was startled to see the smiling face of her mother in her phone.

"Jesus Britt." Santana said before taking the phone from Brittany's hand.

"Hello Mother." Santana croaked out.

"Well?" Maria asked her daughter.

"Well what?" Santana said baffled as to what her mother was talking about.

She heard her mother gave an impatient sigh before saying, "Did Brittany say yes?"

"Mom you could've asked her when she answered the phone!" Santana said sounding annoyed.

"Check your tone young lady and imagine how embarrassing it would be to ask her if it turns out that she said no or if you chickened out and didn't ask her to marry you?" Maria ranted.

"Thank you for the vote of confidence mother and I'll be sure to tell my fiancée to scratch your name off our Christmas list." Santana said with a small smile playing on her lips.

She heard a high-pitched squeal and couldn't help but laugh when she heard her mother shout to her father about the engagement.

She heard her father shout congratulations and by this time Santana was grinning from ear to ear.

"Now sweetheart I know you're as naked as the day you were born right now so why don't you put some clothes on and we'll all meet for lunch to celebrate." Maria said not able to contain the excitement in her voice.

"Mom!" Santana said clutching the covers to her bare chest suddenly feeling conscious.

"What? You just got engaged and you probably had sex with your fiancée all night. I remember when your Dad proposed.." Maria started saying.

Horrified, Santana cut her mother off before her ears started bleeding, "Mom, I don't want to hear about you and Daddy doing the nasty!" Santana protested.

"Fine, we'll meet you girls for lunch then. Be a sweetheart and put Brittany on the phone, I want to congratulate my future daughter-in-law." Maria said to her daughter.

Santana stood up, letting the covers fall to the bed, and sauntered over to Brittany, who was blow drying her hair.

She looped her arms around Brittany and started kissing her fiancée's neck. Brittany smiled and put down the blow dryer to face Santana.

"Good morning future wife." Santana said before capturing Brittany's lips. Santana almost forgot about Maria until she heard her mother's voice on the phone shouting at her trying to get their attention, "Santana Lopez! We are having lunch in an hour! You can have sex with your fiancée later"

Brittany pulled back and a blush immediately crept over her face when she heard Maria's voice.

"Oh yeah Mom wants to talk to you." Santana said with a smirk.

Brittany glared at Santana who just shrugged her shoulders and proceeded to the bathroom to take a shower.

A few minutes later Santana was in her bathrobe when she saw that Brittany was still on the phone. Brittany smiled when she saw Santana and placed a quick kiss on her cheek when Santana sat down next to her on the bed.

"Ok Mom, we'll see you in New York." Brittany said before hitting the end button and tossing the phone on the bed to give her full attention to Santana.

"That was my mother. I told them the good news and she said that they'll visit us in New York next month." Brittany said to Santana.

"What did she say?" Santana asked.

"She was excited and I think she's going to call your Mom." Brittany said while rummaging through her closet looking for something to wear for lunch with Santana's family.

She heard Santana groan and saw that Santana was lying down on the bed with her head propped up on her hand watching her.

"San come on! We're already late." Brittany said putting on a pair of skinny jeans and on oversized shirt.

"How about we don't show up and repeat last night's events?" Santana said, winking at Brittany.

Brittany plopped down next to Santana and gave her a peck on the lips but before she could pull back Santana had managed to put her arms around Brittany and soon they were in the middle of hot make out session.

"Maybe we can be half an hour late." Brittany said in between kisses.

Santana's bathrobe was becoming undone and Brittany's hands were already doing things to her fiancee's delicious breasts when they were both startled by Santana's phone suddenly vibrating on the bed.

They both groaned at the intrusion and Santana was annoyed when she saw that it was her sister. Brittany stood up and started straightening up her clothes and Santana knew that she wouldn't be getting any until after lunch.

"What do you want?" Santana said grumpily on the phone.

"Is that the way you greet your favorite sister?" Mikaela said, feigning hurt.

When Santana just grunted, Mikaela continued, "So I heard the good news from Mom! When's the wedding so I can put it in my planner since I will be doing your pre nuptial wedding pictures for 10% off?"

"You are doing our photos for free." Santana challenged her sister.

"My services are not for free Santana, I need to eat you know?" Mikaela said not backing down.

"You just had an exhibit and I bought you your first professional camera so you owe me." Santana said becoming annoyed.

"Which I will be forever thankful for but I need the cash and I know Mom and Dad are paying for the wedding so technically they will be paying me not you." Mikaela said trying to make a point to her sister.

"Of course not! Me and Britts already agreed last night that we will be paying for our own wedding." Santana said, this time she couldn't hide the irritation from her voice. The next thing she heard was her sister calling her mother.

Santana then shouted into the phone trying to get her sister's attention while she told her mother about their plan, "Mikaela! You're such a fucking tattletale! I'm not inviting you to our wedding!" Before Santana could think of other expletives to yell at her sister, the phone was snatched away by Brittany, who shooed Santana away.

Santana just rolled her eyes and went to the bathroom to brush her teeth. When she came back she heard Brittany say, "Don't worry I'll take care of Santana. See you in half an hour!"

"So?" Santana asked.

"Mikaela agreed to a 50% discount." Brittany said.

"Britt! You're too soft on these people, we could have gotten it for free!" Santana protested.

"Santana! They're your family and your sister is like famous now so getting a 50% discount is a big deal." Brittany said scolding Santana, who just scowled.

"Fine, as long as they stay out of our way during the wedding preparations." Santana said with a sigh.

"Oh yeah about that, Maria is also coming to New York with my mother, they're going to help us out since Maria said that we're rejecting their money." Brittany said preparing herself for Santana's temper.

"Brittany S. Pierce!" Santana said not believing what she just heard and she knew that her mother undoubtedly faked being hurt over to being able to pay for the wedding to get Brittany to agree.

"Aww come on babe, that will mean more time for us to actually enjoy our engagement and not be harassed about flowers and other stuff." Brittany said, pouting for effect.

"Fine but I swear to God Britt if my mom calls us in the middle of the night about china patterns I'm going to lose it. Just so you know, you could have totally threatened her about her future grandkids." Santana said in a resigned tone.

Brittany smiled when she heard Santana mention kids. "Don't worry babe, in exchange for this your parents are giving us a trip to Europe instead, for our honeymoon." Brittany said winking at Santana.

Santana laughed and pulled Brittany in for a hug, "And they said I'm the evil one." Santana said chuckling and Brittany couldn't help but join in.

After the laughter died down Brittany looked at Santana in the eye and said, "I love you Santana."

"I love you too." Santana answered smiling back at her future wife.

_**The End**_


End file.
